NORZ (North Zone) vs SOU (South Zone) Match Prediction

NORZ

55%

Chance of Winning

SOU

45%

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Jul 24, 202306:30 AM

List a

Cricket Association Pondicherry Siechem

North Zone will take on South Zone at Cricket Association Pondicherry Siechem Ground in the inaugural game of the Deodhar Trophy as the tournament will return to the Indian domestic calendar after a hiatus of four years. Both teams will look forward to starting the competition with as the fixture will kick off at 9 AM IST.

North Zone vs South Zone Chance of Winning

Historically, North Zone have been a dominating side in the Deodhar Trophy winning 13 editions in the history of the tournament. On the other hand, South Zone have managed to lift the trophy on eight occasions and that gives an edge to their rivals while going into the contest. Thus, bookmakers have backed North Zone to be favourites for the contest.

• North Zone’s chances of winning @ 55%
• South Zone’s chances of winning @ 45%

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North Zone vs South Zone Prediction & Betting Tips

North Zone have been the most successful team in the tournament winning it on 13 occasions. Also, the competition is set to be played in the inter-zonal format first time after the 2014-15 season. North Zone will be led by a quality all-rounder like Nitish Rana while Prabhsimran Singh will be coming into the contest on the back of superb form in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy where he was the top run-getter in the tournament. The wicketkeeper batter amassed 202 runs from four innings with an average of 50.50.

They also have players with experience of playing in the elite league like IPL in the form of Abhishek Sharma and Rishi Dhawan who will strengthen the all-rounders’ section. Vivrant Sharma also has IPL experience to his name while featuring for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the latest edition. The bowling unit will be led by two quality players in the Indian domestic circuit, Mayank Markande and Sandeep Sharma. Overall, North Zone have players with international experience in all department, and that makes them a strong unit to feature in the tournament.

South Zone will be led by Mayank Agarwal who will be looking forward to shining with the bat and earning back his spot in the national side. The right-handed batter was the third highest run-scorer for the team in the Duleep Trophy and he would like to continue his form in the competition as well. Devdutt Padikkal and Narayan Jagadeesan are the other star players in the team and the batting unit will rely on these trio to accumulate some crucial runs for the side. Washington Sundar will be the key all-rounder for the side and will aim to shine in the batting as well as bowling department with his talent.

Upcoming cricketers like Vidwath Kaverappa, Sai Kishore, and Arjun Tendulkar are part of the bowling unit. Kaverappa was the second-highest wicket-taker in the Duleep Trophy and his form will be vital for the team’s success. However, South Zone will rely heavily on Sundar to provide wickets as they have a lot of inexperienced bowlers.

North Zone vs South Zone Match Toss Prediction

Out of the 19 T20s played at the venue, 11 matches were won by the teams batting first. Also, in the latest edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, results have favoured the team batting first as six of the matches were won by them. On the other hand, the remaining four fixtures were won by the chasing team. Thus, considering the stats from the past, teams are likely to choose batting first after winning the toss.

Weather Report

According to worldweatheronline.com, the temperature will be constantly around 30 degrees Celsius. Also, there will be slight overcast conditions during the first innings and so the pacers can expect some assistance in such playing conditions. Thus, except for some passage of play, a bright and sunny day means that the spectators will witness a full 50-over contest.

North Zone Player List

North Zone squad:Nitish Rana (c), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, SG Rohilla, S Khajuria, Mandeep Singh, Himanshu Rana, Vivrant Sharma, Nishant Sindhu, Rishi Dhawan, Yudhvir Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande

Predicted Playing XI

North Zone Team Form

North Zone entered the semi-final of the Duleep Trophy recently but were knocked out by South Zone with a margin of two wickets. Now, the team will have an opportunity to seek vengeance by beating the same opposition in a different format.

South Zone Player List

South Zone squad:Mayank Agarwal (Captain), Rohan Kunnummal (vice-captain), N Jagadeesan (wicketkeeper), Rohit Rayadu, KB Arun Karthik, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, V. Kaverappa, V Vyshak, Kaushik V, Mohit Redkar, Sijomon Joseph, Arjun Tendulkar, Sai Kishore. Stand-bys: Sai Sudharsan, Nikin Jose, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, KS Bharat

South Zone Predicted Playing XI:

South Zone Team Form

South Zone have been in superb form recently winning Duleep Trophy 2023 beating West Zone in the final by 75 runs. However, the team will have a tough challenge while facing North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy but would like to start the competition on a winning note.

North Zone vs South Zone Head to Head

In the last five matches played between these two teams, North Zone have won three fixtures including the last one in 2014. On the other hand, South Zone scored a victory on a couple of occasions. Thus, North Zone were dominant in the last five matches in the matchup.

North Zone vs South Zone Betting Odds

Mayank Agarwal to score over 21.5 runs

In the last five innings, Mayank Agarwal has registered knocks of 83, 76, 54, 28 and 35. Thanks to his form, he was also the third highest run-scorer in the Duleep Trophy. Further, the opener has amassed 4296 List A runs with an average of 45.70. Thus, considering all his stats at the international and domestic levels, Agarwal is likely to be the top run-scorer for the side.

North Zone vs South Zone Top Team Batsmen

Nitish Rana is likely to be North Zone’s top batter

Nitish Rana has vast experience playing in the domestic circuit and has been also a quality batter in the Indian Premier League. He has scored 2973 List A runs with an average of 39.11 and is likely to make a difference with the bat in the fixture as well. Further, his aggressive batting style suits the limited-over format and so he can make a crucial contribution in the middle order for his side.

Devdutt Padikkal to be South Zone’s top batter

Devdutt Padikkal played his last game in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings and scored a fifty. Further, his absolutely superb average of 77.27 from 22 List A games boosts the chances of him emerging to be the top run-getter in the contest. The left-handed batter is likely to score a lot of runs with his elegant strokeplay and shine with the bat for South Zone.

North Zone vs South Zone Top Team Bowlers

Mayank Markande to be North Zone’s top bowler

Mayank Markande was decent in the IPL 2023 taking 12 wickets from 10 matches. Also, he has scalped 86 wickets from 53 matches in List A cricket. So, his IPL as well as stats from the domestic circuit makes him a likely candidate to emerge as the top bowler for his franchise.

Vidwath Kaverappa to be South Zone’s top batter

Vidwath Kaverappa has taken 15 wickets from four innings with a bowling average of 11.93 in the Duleep Trophy and was the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Also, he has taken 17 wickets from eight List A games with an economy of 3.53 and a bowling average of 13.17. Thus, considering all the factors, Kaverappa is likely to be the top bowler in the contest.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: North Zone

In the last five games played between these two teams, North Zone have emerged triumphant thrice while South Zone won two matches in the matchup. Although South Zone will be high on confidence thanks to them winning the Duleep Trophy, North Zone appears to have an upper hand in the all-rounders and bowling department considering the lineup of both the teams for the tournament. Hence, our prediction goes in the favour of the North Zone for a victory in the fixture.

• North Zone to win @ 2.288 (Melbet)
• South Zone to win @ 1.625 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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