WES (West Zone) vs NOR (North East Zone) Match Prediction

WES

98%

Chance of Winning

NOR

2%

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Jul 24, 202306:30 AM

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Cricket Association Puducherry Ground 2

North East Zone face a tough assignment on their Deodhar Trophy debut in the form of a formidable West Zone side, with the two sides slated to meet at the Cricket Association Puducherry Ground 2 on July 24 at 9 AM IST. The tournament offers a great platform for cricketers from the North East to express their talents on the big stage and they would be raring to go against the 12-time champions.

West Zone vs North East Zone Chance of Winning

West Zone have won the Indian domestic season curtain raiser a record number of times, including three times on the trot between 2011 and 2014. In fact, the side reached the final for the seventh straight season in 2015, the last time the tournament was held in a zonal format, and only lost to the East Zone by fine margins. Thus, West Zone are by far the favourites to emerge victorious come Sunday against the underdog debutants.

• West Zone’ chances of winning - 98%
• North East Zone’ chances of winning - 2%

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West Zone vs North East Zone Prediction & Betting Tips 2023

The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 final saw two teams from the West Zone compete for the title, with Saurashtra ultimately edging out Maharashtra to lay claim to the winner’s medals. Add to that cricketing powerhouses Mumbai and Gujarat, and it is easy to see why the West Zone have 12 Deodhar Trophy titles to their name, at least four more than any other side. The 2023 side features a brilliant mix of Indian Premier League superstars such as Rahul Tripathi. Shivam Dube, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar, alongside household names in the domestic circuit such as Shams Mulani, Chintan Gaja, and Ankeet Bawne, with several of these players even vying for a spot in the Indian team in the near future.

North East Zone, meanwhile, lack both experience and blockbuster names, having only arrived on the cricketing scene less than a decade ago. In the 2022/23 Vijay Hazare Trophy, all of Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram finished at the bottom of their respective groups, managing no victory amongst them across 35 matches. The region is yet to produce a player to represent India across its entire history and currently does not even feature a player on the fringers of India A or B, make them the clear underdogs in the Deodhar Trophy.

Given the round-robin nature of the 50-over tournament, North East Zone would be hoping to gain as much valuable experience as possible from their five games with even a solitary victory seeming a pipe dream for the side considering the quality of the remaining teams. West Zone on the other hand would consider anything less than a title-run a failure, with the aim to kickstart their campaign with a triumph over North East on Sunday.

West Zone vs North East Zone Match Toss Prediction

The Cricket Association Puducherry Ground 2 has only hosted five senior domestic matches so far, all of them having first-class status. In four of those fixtures, the side winning the toss chose to field first with the toss-winning skipper only opting to bat on one occassion. Thus, expect the trend to continue come Sunday with the side ending on the right side of the coin flip liekely to send the opposition in to bat.

Weather Report

A hot and sultry day awaits the players in Puducherry with the temperature set to peak at 35°C midday, as perWorldweatheronline. No rain is forecast on the day, although there may be upto 50% cloud cover at some stages of the fixture while gusts of winds may reach speeds of upto 36 km/h.

West Zone News & Player List

West Zone squad:Priyank Panchal (C), Rahul Tripathi, Harvik Desai, Het Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ankeet Bawne, Samarth Vyas, Shivam Dube, Atit Seth, Parth Bhut, Shams Mulani, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Chintan Gaja, Rajvardhan Hangargekar

Predicted Playing XI

West Zone Team Form

West Zone had ended as the runners-up the last time the Deodhar Trophy was played in a zonal format in 2014, a year after emerging as the cmahpions in 2013.

North East Zone News & Player List

North East Zone squad: Langlonyamba Meitan Keishangbam (C), Ashish Thapa, Larry Sangma, Nilesh Lamichaney, Anup Ahlawat, Lee Yong Lepcha, Palzor Tamang, Rex Rajkumar, Jehu Anderson, Kamsha Yangfo, Abhishek Kumar, Imliwati Lemtur, Khrievitso Kense, Nabam Abo, Pheiroijam Singh

Predicted Playing XI

North East Zone Team Form

North East Zone will be making their debut in the Deodhar Trophy and have played just two matches in thier history, both in the Duleep Trophy, the latest of which ended in a 511 run defeat to North Zone in June.

West Zone vs North East Zone Head to Head

West Zone have never played North East Zone in a 50-over game but the sides met for the only time so far in a first-clas game in 2022, where the former emerged victorious on account of a huge first innings lead of 355.

Matches played - 1

West Zone win(s) - 1

North East Zone win(s) - 0

West Zone vs North East Zone Betting Odds

West Zone to have a better opening partnership than North East Zone

West Zone are expected to open with Priyank Panchal and Rahul Tripathi, both of whom enjoyed stellar Vijay Hazare Trophy campaigns and averaged 50-plus through the tournament. North East Zone, meanwhile, lack specialist openers from the outset, with Anup Ahlawat the only player in the squad who regularly undertakes the role for his domestic side. With North East also featuring a relatively weak bowling lineup with no notable names in their pace attack, West Zone are bound to go big up top and set up the foundation for victory with a grand opening stand.

West Zone vs North East Zone Top Team Batters

Ankeet Bawne to be West Zone’s top batter

Maharashtra veteran Ankeet Bawne has been in stellar form of late, scoring runs wherever he goes. He first enjoyed a prolific VIjay Hazare Trophy campaign, aggregating a mammoth 587 runs in nine outings at an average of 83.85, including two centuries and as many half centuries, to finish as the fourth highest run-getter in the tournament. The 30-year-old ent on to average 49.50 in the Ranji Trophy as well, nearly tallying 400 runs in the camapign. Most recently, he starred in the Maharashtra Premier League, his 362 runs at an average of 72 almost twice as much as any other batter, before registering three half-centuries in the recently concluded Dhaka Premier League. Thus, with Rahul Tripathi not in the best of shapes after a disappointing IPL season, expect Ankeet Bawne to take the limelight for West Zone on Sunday.

Sumit Singh to be North East Zone’s top batter

Sumit Singh would go into the upcomong Deodhar Trophy as not only North East Zone’s most informed and acclaimed batter but also as one of their most experienced campaigners. The 35-year-old has been a regular fixture for Sikkim across formats ever since the team’s debut a few years ago and truly came to his own in the latest Ranji Trophy campaign. Singh tallied 599 runs in six matches at a stunning average of 66.55 while striking at almost 90. He ended the season with scores of 58 and 168, making it two centuries and three fifties for the season. He was also the highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy from amongst the North East squad, managing a decent haul of 188 runs at an average of 26.85. Thus, expect Sumit Singh to stand tall once again against a formidable West Zone bowling lineup.

West Zone vs North East Zone Top Team Bowlers

Rajvardhan Hangargekar to be West Zone’s top bowler

Rajvardhan Hangargekar has burst onto the scene since making his domestic debut in 2021, entering the national limelight as part of India’s U-19 World Cup winning squad in 2022. The 20-year-old pacer scalped 15 wickets in just eight appearances in the latest Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, driving Maharashtra all the way to the final as their leading wicket taker. Since, the right-arm quick has even featured in the Indian Premier League and gained valuable experience under the leadership of MS Dhoni, even managing a three-wicket haul in one of his two experiences. Most recently, Hangargekar scalped eight wickets in three group stages games in the ACC Asia Cup, including a stunning five-wicket haul against rivals Pakistan, and looks set to carry over that same form into the Deodhar Trophy.

Abhishek Kumar to be North East Zone’s top bowler

Abhishek Kumar has emerged as the most promising bowling prospect from the North East in recent times, as he showcased in the latest Vijay Hazare Trophy. The 21-year-old scalped 12 wickets in seven games to be the highest wicket-taker in the tournament amongst those in the North East squad, even managing a five-wicket haul against eventual semi-finalists Assam. The right-arm quick further showcased his brilliance in the Ranji Trophy where his tally of 18 wickets came in just five matches, avraging an excellent 22.94. Thus, Abhishek Kumar is clearly expected to be the most stiff challenge for West Zone in their upcoming match on Sunday.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: West Zone

The West Zone side comprises of players from Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Mumbai and Gujarat, each of which have a strong pedigree in white ball cricket and have been historically successful. North East Zone, on the other hand, are yet to produce international cricketers and remain on the fringes of India’s cricketing setup, having only been allowed to compete in the premier domestic tournaments 2018 onwards. Thus, Sunday’s encounter is simply a meeting of David and Goliath, and North East Zone will have to overcome decades of historical precedent if they are to come out victoirous by some miracle.

• West Zone to win - 1.03 (Melbet)
• North East Zone to win - 12 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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