INDM vs AL Match Preview
The Maharajas will be led by Gautam Gambhir this season and he will be looking to make a positive start here. Gambhir is likely to pair up with Robin Uthappa at the top of the order and together, the duo will be hoping to give the Maharajas a solid start. Mohammad Kaif is likely to come in at number 3, with Yusuf Pathan following him lower down the order.
The Maharajas have a great finisher in the form of Suresh Raina, however, the team lacks depth in their batting. In turn, they will have to rely on all-rounders Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh to score runs lower down the order.
The team has some good seamers in the form of S Sreesanth, Praveen Kumar, and Irfan Pathan, while Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Tambe are the only two quality spinners in the team.
The Asia Lions have a strong batting line-up consisting of some big hitters like Shahid Afridi and Tillakaratne Dilshan. The presence of Musbah ul-Haq, Upul Tharanga, Asghar Afghan, and Rajin Saleh adds depth to the batting order. The team has a couple of quality all-rounders in the form of Thisara Perera and Abdul Razzaq, who can score quick runs toward the end of an inning.
Talking about the bowling, the Asia Lions are likely to start their new ball attack with Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanveer. Muttiah Muralitharan is also a part of the squad for the Asia Lions and will play an important role in this match. He will be helped by Bangladeshi spinner Abdur Razzak during the middle overs.
Weather Report
The weather is expected to remain slightly overcast with temperatures of around 25 degrees Celsius.
Pitch Report
The surface at Doha is likely to be flat, offering little assistance to the quicker bowlers. The spinners might get some turn from the pitch but it is the batsmen who will prevail most of the time. We are likely to see a high-scoring encounter here with a first-inning score of close to 180.
Notable stats
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s Explosive Batting
During his heyday, Dilshan was one of the most aggressive opening batsmen in white-ball cricket and has given his team some excellent starts. He has scored a total of 5193 runs in T20 cricket at a strike rate of 122.82.
Team News
There are no updates regarding injuries from either side.
INDM vs AL Probable 11
INDM Playing 11
- Gautam Gambhir (C)
- Mohammad Kaif
- Irfan Pathan
- Stuart Binny
- Yusuf Pathan
- Harbhajan Singh
- Suresh Raina
- Praveen Tambe
- Praveen Kumar
- S Sreesanth
- Robin Uthappa (Wk)
AL Playing 11
- Shahid Afridi (C)
- Muttiah Muralitharan
- Tillakaratne Dilshan (Wk)
- Misbah ul-Haq
- Asghar Afghan
- Abdul Razzaq
- Abdur Razzaq
- Sohail Tanvir
- Thisara Perera
- Shoaib Akhtar
- Isuru Udana
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing the Asia Lions to win this match. They have a well-balanced squad with plenty of match-winners in the team. They also have plenty of depth in their batting, which is something that their opponents lack. The Indian Maharajas are likely to struggle while facing the quality bowling attack of the Lions.
Top Picks
Gautam Gambhir: Gautam Gambhir can adapt to any situation and play accordingly and that has been his biggest strength as a batsman which has allowed him to accumulate over 10,000 international runs. In T20s, he has an average of 28.96 and a strike rate of 120.58.
Shahid Afridi: Afridi’s hard-hitting skills are legendary and he was one of the most aggressive batsmen of his time. He is also a great all-rounder and has picked up 347 wickets in his T20 career.
Harbhajan Singh: Undoubtedly one of the finest spin bowlers for India over the years, Harbhajan can spin the ball on almost any surface. He has adapted well to the shortest format of the game and is likely to play an important role here.
INDM vs AL Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: R Uthappa
Batters: A Afghan, G Gambhir, S Raina, T Dilshan (VC)
All-rounders: S Afridi (C), T Perera, I Pathan, S Akhtar
Bowlers: I Udana, H Singh
