Legends T20 League 2023

Match 5: IM vs WG

Preview

The 5th match of the Legends T20 League will occur between IM and WG on Wednesday, 15th March 2023, at 08:00 PM IST in West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha. Gautam Gambhir-led IM comes here with a win against Shahid Afridi-led AL in the 4th match, and they will look to finish at the top of the points table and qualify for the final of the competition. Aaron Finch-led WG lost the last game against table-toppers AL and must make a strong comeback.

IM won the last game by 10 wickets against AL on Tuesday, and the batting line-up is strong. IM shall like to ride the momentum and leverage their depth in the line-up. WG stands bottom in the league and would be worried about the form of their middle order, which hasn't made runs in both games. Given the strength of the two teams, we expect a close contest.

After two consecutive defeats, Gambhir's side made a strong comeback in the last game against AL. IM won the game by 10 wickets, with both openers producing fireworks, with skipper Gambhir's 61 off 36 balls and Robin Uthappa's 88 off 39 balls. The left-handed batter and captain of the side would look to carry this momentum into the next game to finish ahead of the World Giants.   

Former Aussie batter Aaron Finch's side went down by 35 runs in their last game against AL. The star-studded batting line-up failed to keep pace with the asking rate. AL in the earlier game and had defeated IM in the previous game, and Finch would want his players to draw inspiration from that win. 

Match Details

Match: IM vs WG, 5th Match, Legends T20 League 2023

Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Time: 8:00 PM

Venue: West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha

Pitch and Weather Report

The skies over this venue would be clear on March 15, with hot and humid conditions during the game. It would be a flat surface, and we expect to see a run feast here during the game. The side that bats first would need 170 runs or more on the board to win.

In the last two games, the wicket has become flatter, and we have seen big scores. Defending a total won't be easy at this venue. Hence, the side that wins the toss shall like to bowl first.

West End Park International Cricket Stadium is well-distributed, and spinners also benefit from the surface. Batters can score runs after they are set, despite it being difficult. Doha is predicted to see sunny weather with a high of 27℃ with a wind speed of 18 km/h in the east direction.

Squads

IM: Gautam Gambhir (c), Mohammad Kaif, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Manvinder Bisla, Robin Uthappa, Ashok Dinda, Harbhajan Singh, Joginder Sharma, Parvinder Awana, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Pravin Tambe, S Sreesanth, Stuart Binny

WG: Aaron Finch (c), Chris Gayle, Hashim Amla, Ross Taylor, Shane Watson, Albie Morkel, Jacques Kallis, Kevin O’Brien, Morne van Wyk, Brett Lee, Monty Panesar, Lendl Simmons, Paul Collingwood, Morne Morkel

Probable Playing XIs

IM: Robin Uthappa (wk), Gautam Gambhir (c), Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, Yusuf Pathan, Stuart Binny, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, Pravin Tambe

WG: Aaron Finch (c), Ricardo Powell, Shane Watson, Brett Lee, Morne van Wyk (wk), Ross Taylor, Kevin O Brien, Jacques Kallis, Chris Gayle, Monty Panesar, Paul Collingwood

Match Prediction

Aaron Finch's WG comes here with a loss, and the middle order is causing a lot of worry for the side. The middle order must fire in this game for the side to be in a commanding position. On the other hand, Gambhir's side IM come here with a massive win and a bowling attack suited for these conditions, making them favourites. We say IM to win this match against WG.

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