LLC Masters 2023: Asia Lions Register A Thrilling Win Over India Maharajas In The League Opener. The third edition of the Legends League Cricket Masters (LLC Masters) kicked off on March 10 in Katar with a clash between India Maharajas and Asia Lions. Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was leading India Maharajas; whereas Shahid Afridi was captaining Asia Lions in the tournament.
Asia Lions won the toss and opted to bat first. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga opened innings for Asia Lions. However Indian pacer Ashok Dinda dismissed Dilshan early in the innings. Dilshan could make only five runs off six deliveries. One-down batter Asghar Afghan also got out early off left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan.
Misbah-Ul-Haq Smashed A Half-Century
Next batsman Misbah-ul-Haq stitched a partnership with opener Tharanga. Both added 108 runs for the third wicket. Misbah brought up his half-century in just 35 deliveries. She smoked two sixes in an over bowled by Harbhajan Singh.
In the death overs of the innings, Lions lost wickets quickly but managed to put 165 on board in 20 overs after losing six wickets. Misbah made 73 runs off 50 deliveries with the help of two fours and four gigantic sixes. Tharanga made 40 runs off 39 balls.
Gautam Gambhir Gave The Captain’s Performance
While chasing 166, Gautam Gambhir-led India Maharajas didn’t have a good start as opener Robin Uthappa departed early in the innings on a duck. Skipper Gambhir added 49 runs with Murali Vijay in the power play. However soon after the power play, spinner Dilshan dismissed Vijay for 25.
Left-handed batsman Suresh Raina couldn’t stick much to pitch as Thisara Perera got the better of him. At the other end, Gambhir continued to play sensibly and completed his fifty in just 37 balls. However soon after that Abdul Razzaq removed Gambhir. The skipper made 52 runs off 39 deliveries with the help of seven fours.
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Maharajas continue to wickets in succession. Mohammad Kaif and Irfan Pathan try to reach their team to the target, however, Maharajas fell short of the target in front of them by 10 runs. Asia Lions kicked off their LLC Masters 2023 campaign with a narrow win over Maharajas.
Brief Scorecard: Asia Lions 165/6 (20 overs) (Misbah 73, Binny 2/22) beat India Maharajas 156/8 (20 overs) (Gambhir 52, Tanvir 3/27) by nine runs.
Playing XIs of India Maharajas and Asia Lions
India Maharajas Playing XI: Gautam Gambhir (c), Robin Uthappa (wk), Stuart Binny, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Dinda, Pravin Tambe, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, Yusuf Pathan
Asia Lions Playing XI: Shahid Afridi (c), Upul Tharanga (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Paras Khadka, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Abdur Razzak, Sohail Tanvir, Abdul Razzaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asghar Afghan
