SOU (South Zone) vs EAS (East Zone) Match Prediction

SOU

60%

Chance of Winning

EAS

40%

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List a

Pondicherry Siechem Ground

South Zone would be hopeful of capping off a dominant Deodhar Trophy 2023 campaign with another victory in the final when they meet East Zone in the title clash on August 3 at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground, with the encounter slated to begin at 1:30 PM IST. Both sides have the opportunity to bring pride to their regions by reigning supreme in the first zonal edition of the tournament since 2014/15.

Facts

  • South Zone average over 65 runs for the first wicket in Deodhar Trophy 2023.
  • South Zone have won the Deodhar Trophy a record 13 times, eight times more than East Zone.
  • Sai Sudharsan’s batting average of 185 in Deodhar Trophy 2023 is the highest in the tournament.

South Zone vs East Zone Chance of Winning

South Zone are record 13-time winners of the Deodhar Trophy and their historical dominance has translated into the ongoing edition as well as the side raced its way to the finals. None of the other six competitors managed even a sniff of victory when going up against the South brigade, a fact reflected in the mighty net run rate of the team at the end of the league stage. Thus, South Zone are undoubtedly the favourites to win a first Deodhar Trophy since 2002.

  • South Zone’s chances of winning - 60%
  • East Zone’s chances of winning - 40%

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South Zone vs East Zone Prediction & Betting Tips 2023

South Zone ended the Deodhar Trophy 2023 group stage on top of the standings by managing victories in all their five games, outting together a brilliant unbeaten run. The convincing manner of their victories was reflected in their net run rate of 1.820, well and truly establishing them as the team to beat in the tournament. East Zone, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong round-robin phase as well to finish second with four wins and a net run rate of 1.385, but they simply could not build the same record or the aura around them as their upcoming opponents managed.

When the two teams met in the group stage, East Zone chose to bat first but failed to live up to the challenge against a ferocious South Zone bowling attack as they crumbled to 229 all-out. In response, their rivals comfortably reached the target with 34 balls and five wickets to spare, more or less making it a one-sided encounter.

South Zone have managed to dominate the tournament largely because of a stellar bowling attack, with Vidwath Kaverappa and R Sai Kishore as the headline acts given they have scalped victims at stunning avereages of 11.63 and 12.30 respectively. In only one of the five games has South Zone’s opposition managed to cross the 250-run mark, including savagely bowling out North Zone for a paltry 60, North East Zone for 136 and West Zone for 194. In the batting department, they have the highly experienced Mayank Agarwal in fine form up the order who not long ago was a India team regular, while emerging talent Sai Sudharsan has already struck a half-century and a hundred in the two games he has played.

Thus, as a unit, South Zone are simply too well assembled and balanced to be challenged by East Zone, making them the overwhelming favourites for the final.

South Zone vs East Zone Match Toss Prediction

The Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground has only hosted five senior level domestic matches in 2023. Across these matches, the captains have chosen to field first on three occasions, including in both Deodhar Trophy 2023 matches played at the ground. Thus, the same trend is expected to continue on Thursday with the side winning the coin flip most likely to opt to chase a target.

Weather Report

An exceptionally hot day awaits the Deodhar Trophy final, with temperatures soaring to 41°C at the start of the encounter as perworldweatheronline. However, as the day progresses, the temperature would keep falling, reaching upto 30°C by late afternoon. There are no chances of precipitation throughout despite significant cloud cover through most of the encounter, peaking at 63% around 4 PM. Strong winds are expected on the day as well with gusts reaching as high as 44 km/h.

South Zone News & Player List

South Zone squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Rohan Kunnummal, Narayan Jagadeesan, Rohit Rayudu, KB Arun Karthik, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Washington Sundar, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kaushik Vasuki, Mohit Redkar, Sijomon Joseph, Arjun Tendulkar, Sai Kishore

Predicted Playing XI

Rohan Kunnummal

Batsman

Mayank Agarwal (C)

Batsman

Sai Sudharsan

Batsman

Narayan Jagadeesan

Wicket-keeper Batsman

Rohit Rayudu

Batsman

Washington Sundar

All-rounder

Arjun Tendulkar

All-rounder

Sai Kishore

Bowler

Vijaykumar Vyshak

Bowler

Vidwath Kaverappa

Bowler

Vasuki Koushik

Bowler

South Zone Team Form

South Zone dominated the round-robin stage of Deodhar Trophy 2023, winning all their five games to top the table with 20 points and an astonishing net run rate of 1.820.

East Zone News & Player List

East Zone squad: Saurabh Tiwary (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Gharami, Subhranshu Senapati, Reshab Das, Utkarsh Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Abishek Porel, Virat Singh, Riyan Parag, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avinav Chowdhury, Mura Singh, Muktar Hussain, Akash Deep

Predicted Playing XI

Abhimanyu Easwaran

Batsman

Utkarsh Singh

All-rounder

Virat Singh

Batsman

Rishav Das

Batsman

Saurabh Tiwary (C)

Batsman

Kumar Kushagra

Wicket-keeper Batsman

Riyan Parag

All-rounder

Shahbaz Ahmed

All-rounder

Mura Singh

All-rounder

Akash Deep

Bowler

Mukhtar Hussain

Bowler

East Zone Team Form

East Zone had begun their Deodhar Trophy campaign with three straight wins on the trot and beat West Zone in their latest encounter, in what was a virtual semi-final. Thus, the side qualified for the final with fours wins in five games, their net run rate reading an excellent 1.385 as well.

South Zone vs East Zone Head to Head

In the last five List A encounters between South Zone and East Zone, the former has emerged triumphant thrice, including in their group stage meeting in Deodhar Trophy 2023, while losing on two occasions.

South Zone vs East Zone Betting Odds

South Zone to have a better opening stand than East Zone

Even though the openers of both sides have been in fine fettle in the ongoing tournament, South Zone’s pair of Rohan Kunnummal and Mayank Agarwal have been a level apart. The team has managed two half-century first-wicket stands and one 100-plus opening partnership, only losing a wicket under 45 runs once in their five fixtures. Their average first wicket partnership reads a brilliant 65.60, well clear of East Zone’s 57.60. Both Abhimanyu Easwaran and Utkarsh Singh have failed to tally 200 runs in Deodhar Trophy 2023 so far, a mark far surpassed by the two South Zone openers, both of whom are amongst the top five run-getters. Thus, expect South Zone to manage a better foundation for victory on Thursday.

South Zone vs East Zone Top Team Batters

Sai Sudharsan to be South Zone’s top batter

South Zone well and truly have a prodigy on their hands in the form of Sai Sudharsan who has set the tournament ablaze since returning from the Emerging Asia Cup. He started his campaign with a 53 against East Zone and followed it up with a match-winning 132* against Central Zone, thus racing into the top 10-run scorers list for the tournament after just two innings. The 21-year-old has already outscored all his teammates bar the two openers, whose averages are less than a third of Sudharsan’s. Even in the Asia Cup, the youngster had impressed with a 58* against Nepal and an unbeaten century against Pakistan A, further propogating the name he had made for himself in the IPL. Thus, expect the southpaw to continue his run-scoring streak in the title clash on Thursday.

Riyan Parag to be East Zone’s top batter

Despite a horrid IPL season, Riyan Parag has returned to form in flying colours on the domestic circuit, further extending his dominance against the bowlers that he had managed to establish during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The all-rounder is the only batter to have struck two centuries in the ongoing Deodhar Trophy, his latest knock being a dominant 68-ball 102* against West Zone. Parag’s 269 runs in the tournament have come at an average of 86.33 and a strike rate of 130-plus, making him the highest run-getter from East Zone, and the swashbuckling batter from Assam looks primed to explode once again on the big stage against South Zone.

South Zone vs East Zone Top Team Bowlers

Vidwath Kaverappa to be South Zone’s top bowler

Vidwath Kaverappa’s upwards trajectory keeps getting steeper as he scales new heights with each match. The pacer excelled in his debut Vijay Hazare Tropy season in 2022 with 17 scalps in just eight encounters at an astonishing average of 13.17, only to manage even better numbers in the Deodhar Trophy. The 24-year-old has 11 wickets in just four matches at an extraordinary average of 11.63 and is just one wicket off from going top of the charts, despite having played a game less than the leaders. Having the opportunity to truly shoot himself into the national spotlight with another dominant performance in the final, Kaberappa would be raring to go big against East Zone on Thursday.

Rex Rajkumar to be East Zone’s top bowler

One of only two capped players in the East Zone unit, Shahbaz Ahmed has well and truly lived up to his reputation in the ongoing Deodhar Trophy. The left-arm spinner has managed 10 scalps in five games at an average of 17.89 while maintaining a brilliant economy of 3.84, emerging as the best East Zpne bowler by a distance. Even in the latest Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, the Bengal bowler had taken 11 wickets in just six outings at a tremendous average of 22.72. One of the few IPL regulars in East Zone’s squad while also holding three international caps, Shahbaz Ahmed would undoubtedly be the bowler to look out for for South Zone on Thursday.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: South Zone

South Zone have already defeated East Zone once in the tournament during the group stages and there appears to be no reason why they cannot replicate that feat. To add to their dominance, the side has been recently bolstered by young talents such as Sai Sudharsan returning from the ACC Emerging Asia Cup. Thus, even though East bolster a strong squad as well, they are clearly the inferior team on paper and look likely to be outplayed by South Zone come Thursday.

  • South Zone to win - 1.685 (Melbet)
  • East Zone to win - 2.18 (Melbet)
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Shankar Shekh

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