After a 20-run defeat at the hands of the World Giants in the final league game of the ongoing Legends League Cricket Masters (LLC Masters), Asia Lions failed to earn their direct qualification for the finals. Now, the Shahid Afridi-led side will host India Maharajas in the Eliminator of the competition, which is slated to take place on March 18 at West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha.

Ahead of that, the team management needs to address a lot of issues as the Lions have suffered two back-to-back defeats in the competition. In their last match against the Giants, the batting order completely collapsed as they failed to chase 150 in 20 overs. Former Sri Lanka international Tillakaratne Dilshan gave a good start to the team and Shahid Afridi tried to control the situation in the middle overs but no other cricketer stepped up to build a partnership with him as the Giants registered their third victory of the season and qualified for the finals.

Coming to the Maharajas, they have been poor for the majority part of the tournament. Other than a few brilliant performances from certain individuals, the team failed to live up to the expectations as they lost three out of four matches in the season. When it comes to batting, the middle-order has failed to put a show so far while the pacers have looked very average. Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa are the only players who showed consistency in the middle and thus, there’s a lot of room for improvement for the Indian side at the moment.

ASL vs INM Match Details

Asia Lions vs India Maharajas, Eliminator, Legends League Cricket Masters 2023

Venue: West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha

Date & Time: March 18, 08:00 PM IST

Telecast & Live Streaming: Star Sports Network & Disney+Hotstar 

ASL vs INM Pitch Report

The surface in Doha is quite batting-friendly but the spinners can come and dominate in the middle overs. Bowling first will be ideal in these conditions and anything above 170 will be a good score on the board.

ASL vs INM Probable Playing XIs

Asia Lions (ASL):

Upul Tharanga (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi (c), Thisara Perera, Paras Khadka, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Razzak, Mohammad Amir, Sohail Tanvir

India Maharajas (INM):

Robin Uthappa (wk), Gautam Gambhir (c), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Kaif, Reetinder Sodhi, Irfan Pathan, Stuart Binny, Harbhajan Singh, Pravin Tambe, Ashok Dinda

ASL vs INM Probable best performers

Probable best batter

Gautam Gambhir

India Maharajas skipper Gautam Gambhir is very likely to make his return to the playing XI in the Eliminator. With 183 runs to his name from three games so far, the Southpaw is currently the leading run-scorer of the tournament and would hope to add more to his tally in the upcoming clash against the Lions.

Probable best bowler

Harbhajan Singh

Spin wizard Harbhajan Singh has been very dangerous in the middle overs. In four games so far, the 42-year-old picked up six wickets and with that, he currently is the third-leading run-scorer of the tournament.

Today’s Match Prediction: India Maharajas team to win

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.