Match: India vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023, 5th match (IND vs NEP)
Date: September 2, Saturday, 3.00 PM IST
Venue: The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka
After a washed-out game against arch-rivals Pakistan, India would be hoping to play an uninterrupted game against Nepal in match 5 of the Asia Cup 2023. The contest will take place in Kandy, which has been witnessing consistent rainfall for the last few days. Both Nepal and India faced off against Pakistan in their respective opening games.
India’s batting was put to test against Pakistan. India’s top-order struggled against Pakistan’s potent pace attack in the initial overs. They were reduced to 66/4 after 14.1 overs after the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed cheaply. If not for Ishan Kishan (82 off 81) and Hardik Pandya (87 off 90), India would have found themselves in deep trouble. In absence of injured KL Rahul, Kishan grabbed the opportunity with both hands and is certain to be a part of India’s playing XI for the entire tournament.
Nepal, on the other hand, were totally outplayed by Pakistan in their opening match. Chasing 343 runs to win, the Rohit Paudel-led side was about to muster only 104 runs. After a demoralising 238-run loss, Nepal will be looking to put up a better show against India, but that will be a mighty task on their hands. Recently, they failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023 as well.
Ahead of the match 5 of Asia Cup 2023, here is everything you need to know to win big on MPL fantasy cricket.
Weather update and pitch report for NEP vs IND, Asia Cup 2023, match 5
The pitch at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium offered maximum assistance to the fast bowlers in the game between India and Afghanistan, but it is also a batting-friendly surface. Historically, the team chasing on this ground has had a better luck at winning. Average first-innings ODI score at the venue is around 250 runs. They have overall played three ODIs in Pallekele, winning all.
The weather could play spoilsport to yet another match of the Asia Cup 2023. There is a high chance of rain in Kandy on match day.
India team news and predicted XI
Team news: Ishan Kishan, who played as injured KL Rahul’s replacement in the first game, is certain to play the next game as well, given his brilliant performance. Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, has flown to Mumbai due to personal reasons and is not available for this fixture.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Predicted XI: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna.
Nepal team news and predicted XI
Team news: Nepal do not have any injury or unavailability concerns in their camp. Despite a demoralising win in the last game, they are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI.
Squad: Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh (wk). Arjun Saud (wk), Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, Mousom Dhakal, Pratis GC, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kishor Mahato, Kushal Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Aarif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki
Predicted XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (Wk), Rohit Paudel (C), Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi
Head-to-head record
This is the first time in history India and Nepal will play a game of ODI cricket.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI IND vs NEP, Asia Cup 2023
Virat Kohli – batter, India
Virat Kohli struggled against Pakistan’s pace attack, but there is no denying that he is still one of the best in the business and one of India’s key batsmen. Kohli, the 12th highest run-scorer in Asia Cup history, also holds the record for the highest individual knock in the tournament’s history. He is also only 98 runs away from getting to 13,000 runs in ODIs, which will make him only the second Indian to achieve the feat.
Hardik Pandya – all-rounder, India
After India’s wickets kept falling one after the other, it was Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan who brought the Men in Blue back into the game. Pandya scored 87 off 90 to stabilize the ship. One of India’s best all-rounders, Pandya has a batting average of 34.37 in 78 ODIs, along with 73 wickets. He can help you win fantasy points with both the bat and ball and is a good choice for your MPL team’s vice captaincy.
Ishan Kishan – wicketkeeper batsman, India
KL Rahul was declared unfit for India’s first two games of the tournament. But it now remains to be seen if he gets a chance in the playing XI in the next few games, given how his replacement Ishan Kishan performed against Pakistan. Despite being relatively inexperienced on the international stage, Kishan stood up to the occasion against Pakistan bowlers with a knock of 82 runs. With that knock, he is now one of the most-picked players across fantasy platforms for the game against Nepal.
Kushal Malla – batter, Nepal
The 19-year-old was able to score only six runs against Pakistan. But going by his form in the matches leading up to the Asia Cup, Kushal Malla is one of Nepal’s top batters. In his last 16 matches leading up to the Asia Cup, Malla scored 493 runs including three half centuries and a century at an average of 35.21 and a strike rate of 116.5.
Sandeep Lamichhane – bowler, Nepal
Sandeep Lamichhane is Nepal’s best bowler in ODIs with 112 wickets from 50 matches. He has also played with and against some of the Indian players from the Asia Cup squad in the Indian Premier League.
MPL fantasy XI – IND vs NEP, Asia Cup 2023
IND vs NEP – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The India vs Nepal ODI will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app. The match will begin at 3.30 PM IST on September 5.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
