AL vs IM Full Scorecard, Legends League Cricket 2023 Updates

4th, West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha

Asia Lions

157/5 (20)

India Maharajas

159/0 (12.3)

IM won by 10 wickets

Info

Fantasy

Live

Scorecard

Playing XI

Player of the Match Robin Uthappa

88(39)

Player of the Series Upul Tharanga

Asia Lions Inn

157/5 (20)

India Maharajas Inn

159/0 (12.3)

Batters

Robin Uthappa *

225.64

Not out

Gautam Gambhir

169.44

Not out

Extras

(B: 0, LB: 5, NB: 0, W: 5)

TOTAL

(12.3 Ov, RR: 12.72)

159/0

Did not Bat

Manvinder Bisla , Suresh Raina , Mohammad Kaif , Stuart Binny , Yusuf Pathan , Irfan Pathan , Harbhajan Singh , Pravin Tambe , Ashok Dinda

Bowlers

EXT

11.00

9.67

16.50

12.00

Shoaib Akhtar

12.00

Isuru Udana

13.00

Thisara Perera

0.3

16.00

Player of the Match Robin Uthappa

88(39)

Player of the Series Upul Tharanga

Commentary

That brings us to the end of our coverage of this match. The tournament is evenly poised now with the India Maharajas registering their first win. Two group games still to come, and it's really tough to predict who'll make it to the finals directly! The India Maharajas take on the World Giants tomorrow; do keep an eye on our tabs for the coverage of the same and lots more! This is Rajarshi, signing off on behalf of myself and Arya. Good night!

Misbah-ul-Haq, Asia Lions captain: Tharanga and Dilshan played well, but when the spinners came, they put the brakes on. Good bowling performance by their spinners. The middle overs period in the first innings was an important period, we lost a few wickets. The wicket seemed good, we could have got at least 170. They batted brilliantly as well. When the spinners bowl well and the fielders put pressure, it was difficult at that time. We weren't able to play well in the middle overs, minimizing those dot balls would have helped us get past 170.

Gautam Gambhir, India Maharajas captain: Robin made my life much easier, the way he started and the way he was middling the ball, took a lot of pressure off me. We were in the position to win the last two games as well, we could have won both the games. Obviously, when you win your first game it is more satisfying. (On coming out of retirement) Absolutely not! This is what I can do now, professional cricket is much tougher. When you got a lot on stake, it's a different game. Hitting the ball well is all that matters now. I've been enjoying it. Sometimes, you've got to think like a bowler as well, especially playing against spin. You've got to be one step ahead of a spinner. That is how I normally play against spin.

Robin Uthappa, Player Of The Match: Well, I've been playing a bit of golf (laughs). It was a much better wicket to bat on, the last defeat hurt us because we couldn't make sense of it. That really hurt us and we wanted to put up a good show for our fans and ourselves and our pride. The wicket was still gripping a little bit, though, the overcast conditions had a bit of impact as well. The spinners were still bowling well, so we knew that going on the backfoot and attacking was an option. Hafeez kind of bowled right in my slot for me to put them away. The ball was doing a bit in the first over. We needed to keep our tail between the legs and see Tanvir off, and once we did, it was nice for the ball to come on to the bat.

Robin Uthappa is the Player Of The Match

Match summary:

India Maharajas win by 10 wickets

Robin Uthappa 88*(39) | Gautam Gambhir 61*(36)
Upul Tharanga 69(48) | Suresh Raina 2/16 (2)

Gautam Gambhir will be a pleased man tonight. He was gutted about the fact that the India Maharajas, despite being in a winning position all along in the previous game, botched up the run-chase. None of that took place tonight, as the skipper himself, alongside Robin Uthappa, absolutely slaughtered the Asia Lions bowlers on their way to script a crunching 10-wicket win with over 7 overs to spare! None of the Lions bowlers had any answer to the clinical display of batsmanship shown by the Maharajas opening pair, and to make matters worse, they missed their line and length far too often!

Sohail Tanvir bowled an excellent first over, shaping the ball away from Uthappa and going for only two. Uthappa saw him off, that helped him play himself in, and then he teed off, driving Amir through the off side twice in the next over. Having bowled as well as he did in his first over, Tanvir was listless in his second, spraying the ball all over the place. Gambhir took full toll of it and got himself off to a flyer as well.

It was carnage from then on as both the openers tore into the Lions bowlers. Neither pace, nor spin were spared as Uthappa and Gambhir kept piercing the gaps at will. The innings was lacking sixes, but when Hafeez starting landing them halfway down in the 9th over, that changed. Uthappa cleared the ropes thrice in successive, and that was the over which took the game away from the Lions. Uthappa and Gambhir continued to make merry, bringing up milestones after milestones, and the India Maharajas coasted home halfway through the 13th over. Stay tuned, the presentation ceremony is set to start shortly!

What a shot to bring up a resounding victory! Sheer entertainment from the India Maharajas opening batters! The Maharajas are off the mark in the 2023 Legends League!

12.3 Thisara Perera to Robin Uthappa, FOUR! Game done and dusted. What an incredible run chase from the India Maharajas. Fuller a shade outside off and that has been carved away up and over and it reaches the deep extra cover boundary.

12.2 Thisara Perera to Gautam Gambhir, slower on a length on middle and leg. Gambhir misses out on the attempted flick and will scamper through for a leg bye single.

12.1 Thisara Perera to Gautam Gambhir, FOUR! Perera missing his line, yorker down the leg side and nonchalantly clipped away down towards the long leg region and off to the fence.

The target has been brought down to single figures. Uthappa might not get a hundred tonight, but he won't be bothered - his side will get past the line emphatically tonight!

overs

150 /0 score

runs

Robin Uthappa *

84 (38)

Gautam Gambhir

57 (34)

Isuru Udana

0 /26

11.6 Isuru Udana to Robin Uthappa, SIX! That has been slaughtered down the ground for a maximum. On a length that sat up nicely, Uthappa gets down the track and tonks him back over his head for a maximum. Just 8 needed now.

11.5 Isuru Udana to Robin Uthappa, a low full toss outside off, pushed away straight to the cover fielder.

11.4 Isuru Udana to Gautam Gambhir, works away the length delivery on middle towards the square leg region for a single.

11.3 Isuru Udana to Gautam Gambhir, FOUR! Short this time from Udana, Gambhir goes for the pull and gets a top edge which runs away to the long leg fence.

A third successive half-century for Gambhir in this tournament! My word, has he rolled back the years or what?! The fact that he's going through such a purple patch at a time the Kolkata Knight Riders are set to miss the services of their skipper gives it a rather symbolic look!

11.2 Isuru Udana to Gautam Gambhir, FOUR! Short and wide outside off, cut away hard past the backward point fielder and it races away to th fence.

11.1 Isuru Udana to Gautam Gambhir, a dot ball to start the over. Short delivery, Gambhir went for the pull but mistimed the ball to the man at mid-wicket

Here's an interesting situation - Uthappa needs 22 for a hundred, and the Maharajas need 23 for the win. The Maharajas keeper does deserve a score in excess of three-figures for the way he has batted tonight!

COMMENTARY NOT AVAILABLE

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