Match: India vs New Zealand, semi-final 1
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Date: 15 November, 2023, 2.00 PM IST
The first semi-final of the cricket World Cup 2023 will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai between hosts India and the runners up of the 2009 edition, New Zealand.
India has been the team to beat in the World Cup. They have one all their games and are heading into the semifinal unbeaten. New Zealand, on the other hand, won five and lost four matches before making it to the knockouts.
When the two teams met earlier in the competition, India won by four wickets. Batting first, New Zealand posted a total of 273 runs after Daryl Mitchell scored 130 and Rachin Ravindra scored 75. In response, India chased down the target in 48 overs. Virat Kohli (95), Rohit Sharma (46) and Ravindra Jadeja (39*) were the top run-scorers. Earlier in the game, Mohammad Shami picked up five wickets.
Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, the pillars of the Indian pace attack, have been bowling brilliantly while India’s batsmen have also been in good form. Particularly impressive has been Shreyas Iyer, of whom not much was expected before the tournament began.
From the New Zealand team, all eyes will be on the young Rachin Ravindra, who has been absolutely unstoppable this World Cup, which is also his maiden World Cup. In nine games, he has scored over 500 runs and has been his team’s most consistent batsman. New Zealand will also be dependent on Mitchell Santner for wickets.
Ahead of the first semi-final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, here is everything you need to know to maximise your chances of winning cash prizes on MPL fantasy.
Weather update and pitch report for IND vs NZ, semi-final 1
The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is batting friendly and the smaller ground further helps batsmen go for the big shots. India posted a formidable score of 357 and then bowled out Sri Lanka for a meagre total of 55 runs at the same venue. Overall, a total of 33 ODI matches have been played at this venue, from which the average score reads 248.
The weather in Mumbai will be warm and sunny with little to no presence of winter in the city in the month of November. Rain is not forecast.
India team news and predicted XI
Team news: India has maintained a consistent playing XI since their fifth league game against New Zealand in Dharamsala, indicating a likelihood of no changes to their lineup.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
Predicted XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand team news and predicted XI
Team news: like India, New Zealand also do not have any injury concerns and are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI.
Squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
Predicted XI: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult
Head-to-head record
In the 117 encounters between India and New Zealand, India maintains an edge with 59 victories, while New Zealand has secured 50 ODI wins against India. Only one ODI match between the two concluded in a tie, and seven matches concluded with no result. In their nine meetings in ODI World Cup history, New Zealand has emerged victorious in five matches, while India has won four.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players to watch out for in the IND vs NZ semi-final
Rohit Sharma – batsman, India
Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been in exceptional form during the World Cup 2023, excelling not only in his captaincy but also showcasing impressive batting performances. Accumulating 503 runs in nine appearances, the 36-year-old stands as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He missed out on a half century narrowly in the league stage match against New Zealand and will be looking for a big knock when it is going to matter the most.
Virat Kohli – batsman, India
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli has been a dominant force in the World Cup, emerging as the leading run-scorer. The 35-year-old has scored 594 runs in nine matches at an average of 99.00 and a strike rate of 88.52. Kohli has scored two centuries and five half centuries in nine games.
Rachin Ravindra – batsman, New Zealand
Rachin Ravindra, in his debut World Cup appearance, has emerged as the best batsman for the Kiwis. The young opener is in contention with Kohli and Quinton de Kock for the top spot in the run-scorers’ list, boasting 565 runs. Ravindra scored a half century in the league stage match against India and will be looking for a similar performance in the knockout match. Mitchell Santner – all-rounder, New Zealand
Mitchell Santner is the leading wicket taker for New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup. He has taken 16 wickets in nine matches while maintaining an economy rate of 4.81 runs per over.
Mohammad Shami – bowler, India
Mohammad Shami has been absolutely sensational for India. Despite playing only five games so far, he has already picked up 16 wickets. He has taken two fifers, one of which came against New Zealand in the league stage. Shami will be looking to reproduce that performance in the big semifinal.
MPL XI for India vs New Zealand, semifinal 1
IND vs NZ – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The India vs New Zealand 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 2.00 PM IST on November 15.
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.
