Welcome to Sportstar‘s Coverage of the Legends League Cricket match between India Maharajas and Asia Lions. This is Lalith Kalidas bringing you the updates as action unfurls at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.

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SCORE

IMR 76/3 (10)

ALN 193/4 (20)

IMR 76/3 in 10 overs: Rafique cramps the batters room before fending short for all but one delivery. Binny takes it to his advantage and tonks the ball over long-on for SIX.

IMR 65/3 in 9 overs: Fernando offers a hint of room and Binny creams him for two boundaries backward of point. Fernando finds his radar again and pins the batter deep into his crease.

IMR 56/3 in 8 overs: Jaffer holes out to the deep! Rafique drops short on length and Jaffer pulls straight to Akhtar at long-on. The Maharajas are in all sorts now. Binny is the new man. Off the mark with a single.

Kaif is walking back to the dug out with a niggle. Yusuf Pathan comes in.

IMR 52/2 in 7 overs: Vintage stuff from Jaffer! Fernando tails the ball in and Jaffer effortlessly shuffles across and flicks the ball past mid-wicket for FOUR. Fifty up for India and they will hope this pair to lead the side deep into the chase.

IMR 45/2 in 6 overs: Short from Rafique and Jaffer drives the ball past Muttiah at mid-off for FOUR.

Rafique into the attack

IMR 40/2 in 5 overs: Fernando drills the ball into the blockhole and Wasim punches down the ground for FOUR. Fernando strays to the pads and Jaffer flicks it past short fine leg for another FOUR.  Three in a row for Jaffer! Short again and Jaffer slams it over square for another crisp boundary.  A single and Badrinath finds the fence this time as he angles a yorker on leg-stump beside short fine for FOUR. Fernando follows up with a fiery bouncer that seems to crash into Badrinath’s helmet before parrying onto the point fielder. The fielders are appealing for a catch and the umpires have asked for a review. The replays seem to suggest the ball has brushed the gloves.  OUT! Badrinath has to depart as the third umpire has indeed deemed the ball to have hit the gloves.  S Badrinath c Dilshan b Fernando 9 (8b 2×4)

Fernando replaces Akhtar

IMR 23/1 in 4 overs: Badrinath’s struggling with his timing as Kulasekera’s fiddles with his lengths. Kulasekara tails one in and hits Badrinath’s pads as he steps down to flick the ball across the line. Misbah opts for a review.  Replay’s suggest umpire’s call on impact and the decision remains in favour of the batter. Badrinath finally finds the boundary as he pulls the short ball to the mid-wicket fence for FOUR.

IMR 18/1 in 3 overs: Shoaib’s struggling with his line but the lack of pace isn’t letting the batters swing freely. Short and outside off-stump and Ojha finds the fielder at deep point! A massive wicket for the Lions and India’s in-form batter has fallen cheaply.  A fantastic catch from the sub fielder Mendis in the deep as Badrinath walks in at 3. He’s off the mark with a single. Short from Akhtar and Jaffer swivels to pull him to square leg for FOUR.

IMR 11/0 in 2 overs: A sharp nip-backer from Kulasekara and Ojha tucks it fine for a single. He attempts another one and a wristy flick from Jaffer sends the ball to the backward square leg boundary for FOUR. Jaffer follows up with a sharp single to mid-off. Kulasekara hits the perfect line outside off and Ojha is squared up as the ball nearly kisses the outside-edge.  Kulasekara hits the pads and a loud shout has the umpire raise her finger. Jaffer signals for an instant review. Wickets missing and Jaffer survives.

Kulasekara from the other end

IMR 4/0 in 1 over: Ojha gets off the mark as he tucks the first ball to short fine leg. In the air and Jaffer is dropped at mid-off! A tough chance there for Mohammed Rafique who puts a fine to dive to his left but fails to latch onto the ball. Akhtar’s uncharacteristic lack of pace has Jaffer lob the ball straight up.

Shoaib Akhtar with the new ball.

Wasim Jaffer and Naman Ojha open the chase for India.

Back for the chase!

The Indians could have restricted the Lions well within the 170-range. However, a couple of loose overs allowed the Lions to capitalise and once again make a beeline for a total in the 200 range. Tharanga carried out the recovery act with Mohammed Yousuf to hold one end and racked up his third fifty in as many fifties. However, a blistering cameo from Asghar Afghan blunted the Indian bowlers. The former Afghan skipper finished unbeaten on 69 from 28 deliveries with seven whopping sixes and four fours to his name. Will India’s batters be able to replicate the same kind of magic in the chase? Let’s wait to find out.

ALN 193/4 in 20 overs: Back to back sixes from Asghar to start the over. He drills one to deep mid-wicket but fails to get back on strike. Misbah thumps one down the ground and the ball races to the boundary.  Bhandari finishes on a decent note but that hasn’t stopped the Lions from posting a hefty total on the board.

ALN 173/4 in 19 overs: Munaf keeps it tight, cramps Misbah for room. Full length delivery to Asghar, Munaf appeals and the umpire raises her finger. Asghar is confident of having no contact with the ball and instantly goes for the review and the decision is overturned. Asghar swats the last ball over mid-wicket for FOUR and gets to his fifty!

Munaf replaces Binny

ALN 165/4 in 18 overs: The Lions are on a rampage. Tharanga pumps Bhandari down the ground for SIX! And Bhandari comes up with the perfect response as he gets the inside-edge from Tharanga to chop the stumps.  An excellent knock comes to an end and Misbah comes in at 6.

Upul Tharanga b Bhandari 72 (45b 7×4 4×6)

ALN 157/3 in 17 overs: Binny keeps it wide outside the off-stump and slackens his pace. Asghar misses a couple of deliveries before shuffling across to slam two massive SIXES! Thwack! Asghar picks the length to perfection and tonks Binny down the ground for another SIX. Width from Binny again and Asghar easily lofts it it over cover for another FOUR. Massive over for the Lions here.

ALN 134/3 in 16 overs: Bhandari keeps it tight on line and Tharanga nearly drags it back to the stumps. He does well to get off strike with a single. Asghar attempts a massive heave over mid-wicket but misses.  He advances and sends another length delivery beside backward square for FOUR.

ALN 127/3 in 15 overs: Chopra drags short and Asghar sweeps it past square for FOUR. He follows up with a massive strike down the ground for SIX. Full and straight and Asghar dismisses it from his presence with a fierce slog sweep for SIX!

Chopra returns

ALN 110/3 in 14 overs: Length from Bhandari and Yousuf easily lofts the ball over cover for FOUR.  Length again and this time Yousuf holes out to the long-on fielder! Gony it is in the deep, taking a fine catch and India gets the much needed breakthrough. Asghar Afghan in at 5. He gets off the mark with a single to deep mid-wicket.  A loud shout as Bhandari hits Tharanga’s pads as he shuffles across to flick the ball. He is pretty confident even as the umpire has denied him his a wicket. They opt for a review. Uh oh, seems the like the ball is fractionally pitching outside the leg-stump line and it’s a spot on decision from the umpire. The Maharajas loses their review.

Mohammad Yousuf c Gony b Bhandari 26 (24b 2×4 1×6)

Bhandari into the attack

ALN 103/2 in 13 overs: A flurry of boundaries from Tharanga and the Lions have raced past the 100-run mark. The partnerships is growing to be ominous for the Maharajas.

Salvi replaces Munaf

ALN 91/2 in 12 overs: Yousuf escapes once again as he sends one straight up between mid-off and sweeper cover. Gony hits the slot and Tharanga smacks it straight over the bowler for SIX.  Short again and Tharanga pulls it handsomely over mid-wicket for another SIX! Another fifty for Tharanga as the Lions hinge on him for a strong finish.

ALN 77/2 in 11 overs: Munaf fends one in and Yousuf makes room to heave the ball over mid-wicket for FOUR. Munaf continues to slide the ball in sharply and the ball nearly whiffs the leg-stump. A bouncer from Munaf takes Yousuf by surprises and he slaps it straight over a diving Binny at cover by millimetres. Binny puts in a full length dive but fails to keep the ball within his palms.

Munaf continues

ALN 71/2 in 10 overs: Short and Tharanga whips it over mid-wicket for SIX! Fine comeback from Gony as he keeps the batters wound to the crease with a tighter length.

Gony returns

TIME OUT

ALN 63/2 in 9 overs: Munaf pumps one into the blockhole and Yousuf blocks it out and takes a single. Munaf drops short outside off and Tharanga swats it through cover for FOUR.  A single and Yousuf’s back on strike. Munaf squares up Yousuf with a corker that zips over the middle-stump.

Munaf Patel replaces Salvi

ALN 55/2 in 8 overs: A couple of singles and Yousuf gets the room to swing his arms and he sends the ball over long-off for SIX! Fifty up for the Lions. Yousuf and Tharanga deftly carrying out the recovery act.

ALN 45/2 in 7 overs: Short from Salvi and Tharanga whacks it to mid-wicket for FOUR. Easy pickings for the left-hander who looks in some fine touch. Salvi follows up with a delivery that shapes away to beat the outside-edge.

ALN 37/2 in 6 overs: A decent over from Chopra to complete the PowerPlay. India have done well to keep the batters under a leash.

ALN 29/2 in 5 overs: Tharanga punches down to long-off to start the over with a boundary. A cracking drive from Tharanga to long-off for FOUR. Salvi gets a fine nip-backer to hit the pads but the umpire denies a wicket. But Kaif goes for the review and the decision has been overturned. Kaluwitharana has to go and India has another wicket.

Romesh Kaluwitharana lbw b Salvi 13 (15b 1×4)

Aavishkar Salvi joins the attack

ALN 22/1 in 4 overs: A tight over from Chopra after giving boundary of the first ball.

Nikhil Chopra into the attack

ALN 16/1 in 3 overs: Binny gives no room to Tharanga and Kaluwitharana who resort to singles to keep the scoreboard ticking.

ALN 12/1 in 2 overs: Gony hits the deck hard and cramps Kaluwitharana for room. He attempts to pull and sneaks in a couple of runs. Tharanga nudges one to mid-wicket and gets another single. Kaluwitharana steps out and hammers the ball straight down the ground for FOUR.

Gony from the opposite end

ALN 2/1 in 1 over: Binny to Dilshan. OUT! First ball! Dilshan lobs one straight back to Binny who completes a fine low catch to his left. What a start for India! Tharanga in at 3. A couple of sweet drives to Badrinath at cover.

Dilshan c and b Binny 0(1)

Binny with the new ball.

Dilshan and Kaluwitharana open for Asia.

Game on!

India XI: Naman Ojha, Wasim Jaffer, S Badrinath, Mohammed Kaif (c), Yusuf Pathan, Stuart Binny, Nikhil Chopra, Manpreet Gony, Amit Bhandari, Aavishkar Salvi, Munaf Patel

Asia XI: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mohammed Yousuf, Asghar Afghan, Misbah Ul Haq (c), Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilshara Fernando, Mohammed Rafique, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan

7-40PM IST: Ermm… we are still awaiting a sight on the Playing XIs..

TOSS: India Maharajas wins toss, elects to bowl – A host of stars missing out on either side tonight.

TOSS TIME!

7-05PM IST: Who will come out on top tonight?

 

7-02PM IST: Tonight’s match to be played behind closed doors.

Due to the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases and government regulation, we have decided to put a hold on the ticket sales and the matches will be held without the spectators with immediate effect. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted. A refund for all tickets purchased will be made. All the ticket holders would be sent information of their refund through their respective ticketing platforms. The amount will be initiated within 7-10 working days. – The LLC Team

MATCH 3 Review

In a humdinger run-fest, the World Giants overrode the odds to beat India Maharajas by three wickets for its first win in the Legends League Cricket tournament, courtesy a blistering half-century by Imran Tahir in Muscat on Saturday.

The Giants romped home in the final over of a mammoth 210 chase after finding itself tottering at 130 for six in the 14th over before Tahir’s arrival at number 8. The Maharajas then slipped from the brink of a comfortable win as Tahir slammed a 19-ball 52* with five sixes, two of which came in the final over with the Giants requiring 12 runs.

Tahir’s late surge put the team level with the Maharajas and the Asian Lions on the points table, with all three sides on two points after the first round of matches.

HIGHLIGHTS

Earlier in the evening, Giants skipper Daren Sammy won the toss and sent India in to bat. The Giants got off to a near-perfect start with England left-armer Ryan Sidebottom dismissing opener Wasim Jaffer and S Badrinath for ducks in successive deliveries in the second over.

 

However, a brilliant recovery was staged by wicketkeeper-opener Naman Ojha and skipper Mohammed Kaif, with the former hammering a whirlwind hundred. While Kaif (53*) held fort at one end, Ojha capitalised on a shaky bowling effort by the Giants attack. Ojha cruised to a 57-ball ton before holing out in the final over of the innings after a power-packed 140 from just 69 deliveries comprising 15 fours and nine sixes.

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In its chase, the World Giants lost wickets at regular intervals while opener Kevin Pietersen slammed a quick-fire fifty to lead the side towards 100. While Pietersen fell on 53, skipper Sammy (28) and Morne Morkel (21) played crucial cameos to keep the side in contention before Tahir’s blitzkrieg.

India skipper Kaif was short of bowling options for the final over, with RP Singh and Hemang Badani going off the field after suffering niggles. Kaif handed the ball to Venugopal Rao who conceded two sixes to Tahir, who posted his first-ever T20 half-century.

The Giants will miss the services of the 42-year-old in the upcoming matches as he leaves to play for the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League.

 

Brief Scores: WGS 210/7 in 19.3 overs (Pietersen 53, Tahir 52*; Binny 2/22) beat IMR 209/3 in 20 overs (Ojha 140, Kaif 53*; Sidebottom 2/20) by three wickets

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Squads

India Maharajas team squad: Virender Sehwag (c), Naman Ojha (wk), Yusuf Pathan, S Badrinath, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Hemang Badani, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Venugopal Rao, Stuart Binny, Sanjay Bangar, Nayan Mongia, Amit Bhandari Asia Lions team squad: Shahid Afridi (c), Kamran Akmal (wk), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Yousuf, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Tharanga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Asghar Afghan, Romesh Kaluwitharana India Maharajas vs Asia Lions Dream11 Fantasy Team Wicketkeeper – Naman Ojha (wk) Batters – Mohammed Kaif, Misbah-ul-Haq, Upul Tharanga  (vc) All-rounders – Yusuf Pathan (c), Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Hafeez, Stuart Binny Bowlers – Umar Gul, Nuwan Kulasekara, Munaf Patel Team Composition: INM 6-5 ASL Credits left: 2.0

 

Where to watch India Maharajas vs Asia Lions, Legends League Cricket 2022 match?

The live broadcast of the Legends League Cricket 2022 will be available on Sony Ten 1 and Sony Ten 3 . You can catch the live commentary on Sportstar.