Team India will take on Bangladesh in the Super 4 match of the Asian Champion League 2023 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on 15th September, Friday. The Men in Blue have already qualified for the Final after successive wins against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while Bangladesh has been knocked out of the tournament with two losses on the trot in the Super 4 stage. Two teams will face against each other for the first time in the ongoing edition of the Asian Champion League.
Asian Champion League 2023 has been frequently interrupted by rains in Sri Lanka. India’s two Super 4 matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka witnessed heavy showers but matches took place without any reduction of overs. While Bangladesh played all the matches without any interruption of rain. The final Super 4 match is expected to be exciting as India will look to remain undefeated before playing the Final, while Bangladesh will be hoping to end their campaign on a winning note.
Players To Watch Out For
R Sharma (IND): After a poor outing against Pakistan in the group stage, R Sharma got back into his groove and scored three consecutive fifties in the tournament. In the previous match against Sri Lanka, the Indian captain scored 53 off 48 balls at a strike rate of 110.42 on a tricky pitch in Colomba. Currently, R Sharma is the leading run-scorer of the tournament, aggregating 194 runs, including three half-centuries, at an average of 64.66 and a strike rate of 108.98 in four matches so far. Sharma’s return to form is a big positive for the team India ahead of the tournament’s final. With his current form, R Sharma is likely to pose a threat to moderate Bangladesh’s bowling attack.
M Hasan Miraz (BAN): M Hasan Miraz is the crucial player in Bangladesh’s batting line-up. With the absence of N Hussain Shanto, Bangladesh relies on Miraz to deliver at the top. He is currently the 8th leading run-getter in the tournament, aggregating 145 runs, including a century, at an average of 48.33 in four matches. Though Miraz didn’t have a really good outing in the first two matches of the Super 4 stage, Bangladesh will expect him to come up with goods against India. M Hasan Miraz is an attacking batsman who can anchor the innings at the top order. Once he is in his rhythm, Miraz can pose a threat to India’s bowling line-up.
H Pandya (IND): H Pandya has been a crucial all-rounder for India in the ongoing Asian Champion League. He was very effective with the bat as well as the bowl. In the previous match against Sri Lanka, he didn’t have a good outing with the bat but bowled well by scalping one wicket while conceding just 14 runs in five overs. In the upcoming match against Bangladesh, India will look to rely on him, alongside KL Rahul, in the middle-order of the batting line-up. Pandya can accelerate the innings when needed and form a good partnership in the middle. Moreover, H Pandya has improved his bowling in the last couple of years by delivering the ball at the right line and length. Pandya will look to put up an impactful performance against Bangladesh.
T Ahmed (BAN): T Ahmed is the lead bowler for Bangladesh in the ongoing edition of the Asian Champion League. He is the joint leading wicket-taker of the tournament, with 9 wickets at an average of 19.11 and an economy rate of 5.13 in four matches. Ahmed has a decent pace and ability to swing the ball in both ways. He delivers the ball at the spot where it makes batsmen unplayable. In the previous match against Sri Lanka, T Ahmed scalped three wickets while conceding 62 runs at an economy rate of 6.20 in 10 overs. He is a crucial bowler in the powerplay and middle overs for Bangladesh. T Ahmed will look to make it challenging for India’s batting line-up.
Predicted Playing XI
IND: R Sharma [C], S Gill, V Kohli, KL Rahul [WK], S Iyer, H Pandya, R Jadeja, A Patel, K Yadav, M Siraj, M Shami
BAN: M Naim, M Hasan Miraz, L Das, S Al Hassan, M Rahim, T Hridoy, S Hossain, A Hossain, T Ahmed, S Islam, H Mahmud
Fantasy Playing XI
Wicketkeeper: KL Rahul [VC]
Batsmen: R Sharma [C], M Hasan Miraz, S Gill, V Kohli,
All-rounders: H Pandya, S Al Hassan
Bowlers: K Yadav, T Ahmed, M Siraj,
