Auckland vs Wellington Match Prediction

Auckland will take on Wellington at the Colin Maiden Park in Auckland from Sunday, March 5 in their fifth match of the Plunket Shield trophy 2022-23. The action will kick off from 3 AM IST.

Bet on Plunket Shield

Wellington are ranked two in the six-team points table, while Auckland are reeling at the bottom. The match will be an opportunity for Wellington to get in the winning momentum and stay in the hunt to chase table-toppers Canterbury (71) who are 18 points ahead of them.

Facts

Wellington all-rounder Rachin Ravindra picked 3 wickets in the first innings of his last outing against Otago. In the second innings, he scored a hundred.
Wellington captain Nick Kelly scored a fifty in each of the two innings of his last outing against Otago.
George Worker is the only Auckland batter to have an average over 40 in the Plunket Shield 2022-23.

Auckland vs Wellington Chance of Winning

Wellington are undoubtedly the favourite team to win their upcoming match against Auckland who have won just one of their first four matches. Wellington have won and lost two matches each.Their last match against Otago was a draw.

Wellington batting collapsed and they lost the match by nine wickets when they last clashed against Auckland. However, the tables have turned now. Wellington scored close to 350 runs in both the innings and showed that their batters are in good enough form to stand tall against a very decent bowling line-up. Notably, Otago's bowling consisted of the likes of Jacob Duffy and Michael Rippon. The first innings saw as many as four of their batters score a fifty. In the second innings in-form Rachin Ravindra slammed a hundred. Captain Nick Kelly scored a fifty in each of the two innings.

The bowling unit was also on the money. They bowled out Otago for 287 and had them eight down for 348 while defending 418. They needed just two wickets before the play was called off.

Auckland's batting unit has struggled on the other hand. They were bowled out for 139 and 173 in their first match. In the second match they managed 75 and 187 runs. They did put decent scores in the next two matches but consistency is something they lack. The pacers of the team have lacked flair as off-spinner William Somerville with 14 matches in 4 matches is the pick of their bowler.

Moreover, Auckland's last match was postponed due to the effects of cyclone Gabrielle. Their batters would feel the rust due to the long break. The side last played a match in the tournament in November.

Amore settled and warmed-up squad and a better bowling unit put Wellington ahead of Auckland in the match.

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Auckland vs Wellington Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

Wellington are 18-points behind table-toppers Canterbury and they would want to win each of their last three matches. They face Northern Knights and Canterbury in their last two matches. Canterbury, on the other hand, locks horns against fifth-placed Otago, Central Districts and Wellington. The road ahead is definitely easier for Canterbury to maintain the lead. But again, wins in the last three matches can see them end up as the season champions.

Auckland are sixth after four rounds of matches and they have shown vulnerability in both the departments. They came up with an improved bowling display after their startling failure in first two matches but there is no guarantee of consistency. On pace-friendly New Zealand wickets, a spinner is the leading wicket-taker for this team. There are very low chances that the fortune of the team would change drastically.

Auckland vs Wellington Match Toss Prediction

With overcast conditions on card, the team winning the toss will most likely opt to bowl first.

Weather Report

A fair playing condition is expected on the opening day. However, there are chances of rain on Monday and Tuesday (Day 1 and Day 2). It will be partly cloudy on Day 4. The temperature will hover around 24 degree celsius.

"Rain, possibly heavy at first, turning to showers later in the day. Southwesterlies," MetService has predicted for the starting day of the first-class match. Day 1 might see rain playing spoilsport. Day 2 and Day 3 is expected to give the two teams ample amount of game time. However, there is again a chance of rain on Tuesday, The temperature will hover around 21 to 23 degree celsius.

Auckland Player List

Auckland Squad

Flynn Sumpter, George Worker, Graeme Beghin, Mark Chapman, Martin Guptill, Robert O'Donnell (c), Matt McEwan, Rosster Braak, Ryan Harrison, Sean Solia, William O'Donnell, Ben Horne (wk), Cole Briggs (wk), Glenn Phillips (Wk), Adithya Ashok, Benjamin Lister, Danru Ferns, Jamie Brown, Jordan Sussex, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, Louis Delport, Matthew Gibson, Olly Pringle, Simon Keene, and William Somerville

Auckland Predicted XI

William O Donnell	Batsman
Sean Solia	Batsman
Cole Briggs	Batter
Robert O'Donnell (c)	Batsman
George Worker	Batsman
Ben Horne (wk)	Batsman and wicket-keeper
Simon Keene	All-rounder
William Somerville	All-rounder
Ross ter Braak	Bowler
Danru Ferns	Bowler
Ben Lister	Bowler

Auckland Team Form

Auckland lost their first two matches against Otago and Central Districts by 168 runs and by an innings and 99 runs respectively. They defeated Wellington by nine wickets in the third match. The last match against Central Districts was postponed.

Wellington Player List

Wellington Squad

Devan Vishvaka, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Jakob Bhula, Michael Bracewell, Nick Greenwood, Tim Robinson, Troy Johnson, James Neesham, Jamie Gibson, Luke Georgeson, Peter Younghusband, Rachin Ravindra, Callum McLachlan (wk), Gareth Severin, Lauchie Johns (wk), Tom Blundell (c) & (wk), Ben Sears, Hamish Bennett, Ian McPeake, James Hartshorn, Kieran McComb, Logan van Beek, Michael Snedden, Nathan Smith, and Ollie Newton.

Wellington Predicted XI

Luke Georgeson	Batsman
Rachin Ravindra	All-rounder
Troy Johnson	Batter
Nick Kelly	Batsman
Tim Robinson	Batsman
Lauchie Johns (wk)	Batsman and Wicket-keeper
Peter Younghusband	Bowler
Logan Van Beek	Bowler
Adam Leonard	All-rounder
Ian Mcpeake	Bowler
Michael Snedden	Bowler

Wellington Team Form

Wellington kicked off their campaign with a one-run win over Northern Districts. They later faced two back-to-back defeats against Canterbury (by 290 runs) and Auckland (by nine wickets). The side defeated Central Districts by 68 runs in their last match. Their last match against Otago ended in a draw.

Auckland vs Wellington Aces Head to Head

Auckland have won two of their last five matches against Wellington. Two matches ended in a draw. Wellington defeated Auckland by an innings and seven runs in 2020.

Auckland vs Wellington Betting Odds

Wellington to win

Wellington are the more likely side to win the match because of a more settled and warmed-up unit. The batters piled up runs in their last match against Otago and are in a zone. The likes of New Zealand international Rachin Ravindra and captain Nick Kelly are leading from the front. Ravindra has also done superbly with the ball. He picked three wickets in the first innings against Otago. Netherlands international Logan Van Beek and Nathan Smith combined with others in the eleven to almost win the match for Wellington against Ottago.

Auckland could very well be rusty as they played their last Plunket Shield match in November last year. Their last match against Central Districts was abandoned. The batters have been inconsistent and the bowling unit lack the flair to bowl against a very quality Wellington batting unit.

Auckland vs Wellington Top Team Batsmen

George Worker to be Auckland's top batter

The left-hand batter has scored 5697 runs in 114 first-class matches at an average of 28.77. The New Zealand international is currently the leading run-scorer for his team in the tournament. He has scored 246 runs in four matches at an average of 41.00.

Rachin Ravindra to be Wellington's top batter

Rachin Ravindra is currently the highest run-scorer for his team. He has scored 423 runs in five matches at an average of 42.30. Two hundreds have come off his bat so far. Overall, he has scored 2654 runs in 44 matches at an average of 39.61. He has 6 hundreds and 12 fifties to his name in the format.

Central Districts vs Auckland top bowler

Robert O'Donnell to be Auckland's top bowler

Pacer Robert O'Donnell could emerge as the top bowler for Auckland. The 28-year-old has played in all the four matches this season and picked six wickets in 21.4 overs at an average of 9.66. The all-rounder has picked 14 wickets in 67 first-class matches. He can very well emerge as the surprise-package for Auckland.

Michael Snedden to be Wellington's top bowler

Michael Snedden could emerge as the leading wicket-taker for his team against Otago. Overall, he has featured in 16 first-class matches and picked 39 wickets at an average of 30.15. In the ongoing tournament, he is Wellington's leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps in four matches at an average of 17.41.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Wellington

Auckland to win @ 2.07 (Melbet)

Wellington to win @ 1.75 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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