Washington Freedom vs Los Angeles Knight Riders, MLC, Today Match Prediction 15 July 2024

WAF vs LAKR Match Prediction & Analysis

This will be a tough challenge for the LA Knight Riders as they come to Morrisville seeking their second win of the season. After a winning start to the MLC 2024, the Narine-led team has lost two back-to-back matches.

Washington Freedom, on the other hand, have been unbeaten so far. Their openers are in great touch and their attacking approach puts WAF ahead of the opposition.

There are some quality batters in the middle-order as well with Maxwell in the finisher’s role. This is where things can get interesting. LAKR would be more confident in their finishers than Washington Freedom.

Russell and Miller have played more crucial knocks than Maxwell who’s played just one innings so far. If LAKR get through the WAF top order quickly, they can be on top of the game.

This match will be played at Church Street Park in Morrisville where the last two games were abandoned due to rain.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

WAF

W

SOR

124/10 in 19.4 6.3

MLC

Washington Freedom beat Seattle Orcas by 5 wickets 12 Jul 2024

WAF

127/5 in 18.2 6.93

LAKR

L L W

LAKR

168/5 in 20.0 8.4

MLC

Seattle Orcas won by 9 wkts 10 Jul 2024

SOR

169/1 in 19.5 8.52

SFU

166/4 in 15.2 10.83

MLC

San Francisco Unicorns beat Los Angeles Knight Riders by 6 wickets 08 Jul 2024

LAKR

165/6 in 20.0 8.25

TSK

150/8 in 20.0 7.5

MLC

Los Angeles Knight Riders beat Texas Super Kings by 12 runs 06 Jul 2024

LAKR

162/7 in 20.0 8.1

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Washington Freedom Preview

The unbeaten Washington Freedom will be in search of another dominant win at this venue in Morrisville. Steve Smith and Travis Head have been exceptional on this ground as opening batters.

The last time they were here, WAF had 60 runs on the board in 4 Overs while chasing a 204-run target. Head has had a great year and a half with consistent performances across formats. 

He’s delivered big for Australia in Tests and ODIs and for his franchise in the IPL. He is the undisputed MVP of white-ball cricket. He will face a tough challenge from the Knight Riders’ bowling attack. 

But if he can get the better of them, the bookies have priced him at 3.25 odds to be the top batsman for Washington Freedom. Steve Smith follows right behind with 3.30.

It is not just the top-order that looks threatening. In the middle-order, they’ve got another big-hitting Aussie in the finisher’s role. Glenn Maxwell was out for just 10 off 11 in the last game in Dallas but is yet to play an innings at this venue this season.

The squad also features Rachin Ravindra who came in to bat at number 3 in the last match and scored 26 off 16 balls. Washington Freedom surely has a much stronger bowling attack. 

There are the likes of Marco Jansen and Saurabh Netravalkar leading the bowling attack. They will be ed by the pace-gun Lockie Ferguson. It just gets better and better.

Washington Freedom will be mighty confident coming to Morrisville in search of another victory. Even if just a few of their key batters get going, they could pile on a big total.

Washington Freedom Predicted Playing XI:

Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Maxwell, Mukhtar Ahmed, Lahiru Milantha (wk), Marco Jansen, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Lockie Ferguson, Saurabh Netravalkar

Washington Freedom Actual Playing XI:

Mukhtar Ahmed, Steven Smith, Ian Holland, Obus Pienaar, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Rachin Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson, Andries Gous, Saurabh Netravalkar, Marco Jansen

Los Angeles Knight Riders Preview

Narine’s great run at the top in IPL helped KKR to their 3rd title win. His pinch-hitting at the top has been very impactful in the past. He also plays a similar role for his L franchise.

However, the LA Knight Riders skipper hasn’t found his rhythm in the Major League Cricket in the USA this season. To make matters worse, Unmukt Chand has returned some poor numbers since his fifty in the opening match.

A deep batting lineup with David Miller and Andre Russell as finishers hasn’t looked very threatening. Without crucial partnerships in the first two phases of the game, even some mighty hitting from Miller and Russell won’t get the LA Knight Riders very far.

Expecting Narine to bounce back? The bookies offer 6.00 odds for Sunil Narine to be the top batsman for LAKR. 

Jason Roy has improved his batting performance after failing to get going in the opening match. That’s one major positive for the Knight Riders. He is the favorite to be the top LAKR batsman.

The bowling attack is as good as it gets with Narine, Russell, and Shakib. Spencer Johnson is another key wicket-taking bowler to watch out for. 

There is a lot of promise in this bowling attack but they will be up against one of the toughest batting sides in the tournament. LA Knight Riders need to bring their A-game if they are to return to winning ways.

Los Angeles Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Roy, Sunil Narine (c), Unmukt Chand (wk), Saif Badar, Nitish Kumar, David Miller, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Corne Dry, Spencer Johnson, Ali Khan

Los Angeles Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Unmukt Chand, Saif Badar, Sunil Narine, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Jason Roy, Spencer Johnson, Shakib Al Hasan, Nitish Kumar, Ali Khan, Andre Russell, David Miller

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a balanced wicket where both batters and bowlers have enjoyed great help so far. It is going to be tricky to play on this surface and the batters need to be careful as the pitch could be two-paced. The weather will be mostly sunny with a high of 34 degrees Celsius in Morrisville on the match day.

WAF vs LAKR Pitch Report

Church Park in Morrisville is the venue for the 11th match of the MLC 2024. The last two games here were washed out due to rain without the toss. And before that, teams had enjoyed scoring big and also bowling out the opposition cheaply. The weather forecast is for a sunny day so we expect there to be a good game of cricket between WAF and LAKR. The team batting first should look for at least 185+ runs to stay competitive in the match.

Toss: To Bowl

It has been tricky to bat here. Teams have managed to score big or chase down quite comfortably but at the same time the opposition has struggled big time. As such, we reckon, chasing a total will be a better option on this ground.