Match: India vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023 match (IND vs SL)
Date: September 17, Sunday, 3.00 PM IST
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
After 12 ODI games, we are now into the final of the Asia Cup 2023 which will be played between India and Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. India come into this game on the back of a loss at the hands of Bangladesh, which was also India’s first loss in the tournament and Bangladesh’s first win.
The primary reason for India’s loss was their poor performance with the bat. Apart from Shubman Gill who scored a knock of 121 runs, no other batsman could get going. India rested the likes of Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya for this game, as they had already qualified for the final. But in their absence, India went on to lose the game by six runs.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, defeated Pakistan in their previous game to make it to the final. Three wickets by Matheesha Pathirana helped Sri Lanka restrict Pakistan to a first innings total of 252, which their batsman chased down in only 42 overs on the back of impressive knocks from Kusal Mendis (91), Sadeera Samarawickrama (48) and Charith Asalanka (49).
Sri Lanka and India earlier met in the Super 4 round when India batted poorly but managed to defend the target. Batting first, India scored 213 runs on the board on the back of a half century from Rohit Sharma. But four wickets by Kuldeep Yadav helped them defend the target.
India and Sri Lanka have 13 Asia Cup titles between them. India have won the trophy seven times, while Sri Lanka have six titles.
Ahead of the game between India and Sri Lanka, here is everything you need to know to win big on MPL fantasy cricket.
Weather update and pitch report for IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2023 Final
The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has been favourable for the spinners so far in the tournament. The likes of Dimuth Wellalage, Charith Asalanka and Kuldeep Yadav have bowled brilliantly in Colombo and will once again be the key bowlers in the final. Anything above 270 can be a competitive total on this ground. Overall, a total of 160 ODIs have been played at the R Premadasa Stadium, from which the average first innings score is 233. 88 matches were won by the teams batting first. In the Asia Cup 2023, the team batting first has won five of the six games in Colombo.
The weather in Colombo will be mostly cloudy with over 70% chance of rain.
India team news and predicted XI
Team news: India will be without Axar Patel who has injured himself. In his absence, the team management has called up Washington Sundar to the squad. Sundar can be drafted into the XI over Shardul Thakur, as India would be looking for a spin bowling all-rounder on the Colombo pitch.
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: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Ishan Kishan/Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur/Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
Sri Lanka team news and predicted XI
Team news: Sri Lanka will be without Maheesh Theekshana, and his replacement is likely to be Dushan Hemantha.
Squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanaka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis (vc), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushan Hemantha, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan.
Predicted XI: 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Dushan Hemantha, 10 Matheesha Pathirana, 11 Kasun Rajitha
Head-to-head record
In the 50-over format, the two sides have squared off in a total of 166 matches, with India winning on 97 occasions. Sri Lanka won 57 times. Five matches produced no result. In the Asia Cup particularly, the two teams have met a total of 22 times. India have 11 wins while Sri Lanka also have 11 wins.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI for IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2023 Final
Kusal Mendis – wicketkeeper batsman, Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis has been Sri Lanka’s best batsman in the tournament. He is the second highest run-scorer in the tournament with 253 runs from five games. He scored 91 against a strong Pakistan bowling line-up, before which he scored a knock of 92 runs against Afghanistan.
Virat Kohli – batsman, India
In the absence of Virat Kohli in the game against Bangladesh, India’s batting was disappointing. Kohli will be the key player in the final against Sri Lanka. He played a sensational knock against Pakistan recently, remaining unbeaten on 122 off just 94 deliveries. His knock was laced with nine boundaries and three sixes and came at a strike rate of nearly 130.
Kuldeep Yadav – bowler, India
Kuldeep Yadav has been India’s best bowler in the tournament. He picked up five wickets against Pakistan and four against Sri Lanka. Kuldeep was rested for the game against Bangladesh and will now be raring to go in the final against Sri Lanka.
Charith Asalanka – batsman, Sri Lanka
Charith Asalanka bowled brilliantly against India. He picked up four wickets while conceding only 18 runs and will be looking to repeat the same in the final. With the bat, he scored an unbeaten 62 in the group stage game against Bangladesh. Asalanka boasts of an impressive batting average of 42.40 in 40 ODIs.
MPL fantasy XI – IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2023
IND vs SL – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The India vs Sri Lanka 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 17.
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.
