Meghalaya vs Sikkim Match Prediction

Meghalaya will take on Sikkim in their second match of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season. The match will be played at Meghalaya Cricket Association Cricket Ground, Polo Ground in Shillong and the action will begin from 9.30 AM IST from December 20.

Bet on Ranji Trophy

Both the teams have won their respective first matches. Meghalaya defeated Mizoram by two wickets in a thriller. Chasing 298, Meghalaya played as a unit and chased down a challenging target with their top-scorers scoring 53 runs each. With the team eight down on 245, Meghalaya's number 9 Dippu Sangma scored 36 not outs runs and number 10 Akash Choudhary scored 18 unbeaten runs. On the other hand, Sikkim registered a comfortable 8-wicket win over Manipur.

In the previous season, Meghalaya lost each of their three matches in Elite Group A. Sikkim were placed in Plate Group, they won and lost a match each.

Meghalaya vs Sikkim Match Chance of Winning

The clash between Meghalaya and Sikkim is expected to be a mouth-watering one. Both the teams have kicked off their campaign with a win. Both the teams will have a fair chance but we are expecting Meghalaya to topple Sikkim. The Punit Bisht-led side showed tremendous character in chasing down 298 against Mizoram in the first match. The team bounced back even after giving away a 81-run first innings lead. The team regrouped when it was needed the most and successfully chased down the daunting target. Bisht and Swarajeet Das scored a fifty each and the lower-middle hustled magnificently to hand their team a win. Earlier, left-arm spinner Rajesh Bishnoi took a five-wicket haul in the second innings to bring his side back into the contest.

Sikkim also registered an 8-wicket win but that came against a weaker opposition in Manipur who have lost to Sikkim twice in a row now. Sikkim were restricted to 220 in the first innings as pacer Pheiroijam Singh, who was playing his debut match, ended up picking nine wickets. Meghalaya bowling department is a lot more experienced and Sikkim face risk of another collapse.

Our Prediction

Meghalaya have a better chance to win the match against Sikkim. The side have learnt a lot after being placed alongside Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat last year. The fighting spirit shown by them in the first match is proof. Sikkim, who were in the Plate Group, lost to Nagaland and played a draw against Bihar before thrashing Manipur - the same opponent they have defeated to kick off their 2022-23 campaign. The last time the two sides faced each other was in 2020. Meghalaya won on that occasion by 66 runs. Meghalaya are the more confident team with players like Punit Bisht, Rajesh Bishnoi and Dippu Sangma in their squad. Sikkim rely heavily on Palzor Tamang and once Meghalaya see through his spells, they can easily come on top of Sikkim.

• Meghalaya to win - 1.70 (Melbet)
• Sikkim to win - 2.05 (Melbet)

Meghalaya vs Sikkim Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

The road for Meghalaya was tough in the previous season as they were placed in Elite Group A in the previous season. However, the experience of them playing against teams like Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat must have given them a lot of confidence. The result of the same was visible when they chased down 298 despite getting reduced to 245 for the loss of eight wickets. The boys showed character and a 55-run partnership for the 9th wicket sealed the deal for Meghalaya. Opener Kishan Lyngdoh scored 40 runs each in both the innings, Swarajeet Das scored 33 in the first and 53 in the second, captain Punit Bisht was dismissed for a duck in the first innings and 53 in the following innings. Rajesh Bishnoi picked nine wickets in the match. Other bowlers in the team also chipped in beautifully. For the same reason Meghalaya is one of the favourites to top the Plate Group and proceed to the next round.

Sikkim have won two matches in a row now. They defeated Manipur in the last match of the season, and toppled them again in their season opener in the ongoing season. While this may look impressive, it should also be noted that apart from these two wins, Meghalaya hasn't won a game since February 2020. They lost to Meghalaya in February 2020 before playing a draw against Bihar in the same month. They then lost to Nagaland before playing another draw against Bihar. The side will have to toil hard if they are to move further in the competition.

Meghalaya vs Sikkim Match Toss Prediction

Team winning the toss would most probably look to bowl first due to cold and overcast conditions which has been forecasted during the period.

Weather Report

Rain is the forecast for the first two days in Shillong. The final two days of the match is expected to witness sunny conditions. The temperature will hover around 17 to 18 degree celsius. Wind speed will be somewhere between 2 to 3 kmph.

Meghalaya Player List

Meghalaya squad:

Punit Bisht (wk) (c), Dippu Sangma (vc), Abhishek Kumar, Arbin Singh, Rajesh Bishnoi, Raj Biswa, Akash Choudhary, Kishan Lyngdoh, Lakhan Singh, Sylvester Mylliempdah, Larry Sangma, Bamanbha Shangpliang, Nafees Siddique, Swarajeet Das, Tarique Siddique

Meghalaya Predicted XI:

Raj Biswa	Batsman
Kishan Lyngdoh	Batsman
Bamanbha Shangpliang	Batsman
Swarajeet Das	Batsman
Punit Bisht (c)	Batsman and wicket-keeper
Sylvester Mylliempdah	All-rounder
Larry Sangma	Batsman
Dippu Sangma	Bowler
Rajesh Bishnoi	All-rounder
Akash Choudhary	Bowler
Abhishek Kumar	Bowler

Meghalaya Team Form

The first match saw Meghalaya win a thriller by beating Mizoram by two wickets. Replying to Mizoram's first innings target of 252, Meghalaya were bundled out for 171. However, spinner Rajesh Bishnoi pulled back the things in his side's favour by registering a five-wicket haul. Chasing a daunting 298-run target, Meghalaya played as a proper unit to clinch a 2-wicket win. The ninth wicket partnership of 55-run between Dippu Sangma and Akash Choudhary was also one major highlight of the thrilling contest.

Sikkim Player List

Sikkim squad:

Ashish Thapa (wk) (c), Akash Luitel, Ankur Malik, Arun Chettri, Nitesh Gupta, Kiran Regmi, Nilesh Lamichaney, Lee Yong Lepcha, Md Saptulla, Bijay Prasad, Pankaj Rawat, Anwesh Sharma, Jeetendra Sharma, Sumit Singh, Chitiz Tamang, Palzor Tamang, Tarun Sharma

Sikkim XI:

Arun Chettri	Batsman
Pankaj Rawat	Batsman
Nilesh Lamichaney	Batsman
Ashish Thapa (wk) (c)	Batsman
Sumit Singh	All-rounder
Anwesh Sharma	Batsman
Palzor Tamang	Batsman
Ankur Malik	All-rounder
Tarun Sharma	Bowler
Lee Yong Lepcha	Bowler
Jeetendra Sharma	Bowler

Sikkim Team Form

Sikkim came up with a dominant performance against Manipur to register a thumping 8-wicket win. The bowlers did a tremendous job to bowl out Manipur for 186 and 193 in the two innings. Sikkim's batting unit also crumbled down to collapse at 220 in the first innings. However, they chased down the total with eight wickets to spare. Pankaj Rawat scored unbeaten 72 runs, while Nilesh Lamichaney scored 74. Palzor Tamang picked 7 wickets in the match including a second innings five-fer. Sumit also picked seven wickets including a four-wicket haul in the second innings.

Sikkim Head to Head

The two sides have played two first-class games against each other. Meghalaya won the last one by 66 runs. The first match in 2018 ended in a draw.

Meghalaya vs Sikkim Betting Odds

Meghalaya to win

Meghalaya have a better chance to win the match against Sikkim. The side have learnt a lot after being placed alongside Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat last year. The fighting spirit shown by them in the first match is proof. Sikkim, who were in the Plate Group, lost to Nagaland and played a draw against Bihar before thrashing Manipur - the same opponent they have defeated to kick off their 2022-23 campaign. The last time the two sides faced each other was in 2020. Meghalaya won on that occasion by 66 runs. Meghalaya are the more confident team with players like Punit Bisht, Rajesh Bishnoi and Dippu Sangma in their squad. Sikkim rely heavily on Palzor Tamang and once Meghalaya see through his spells, they can easily come on top of Sikkim.

Meghalaya vs Sikkim Top Team Batsmen

Kishan Lyngdoh to be Meghalaya's top batter

The Meghalaya opener scored 40 runs each in the two innings of his side's first match against Mizoram. These 80 runs played a crucial role in his side's two-wicket win.

Punit Bisht to be Meghalaya's top batter

Punit Bisht got out for a duck in the first innings but stepped up when his team needed him the most. He scored 53 extremely crucial runs as his team landed a 2-wicket win. Overall, he has an experience of playing in 98 first class matches in which he has scored 4858 runs at an average of 38.25. He has nine hundreds and 23 fifties to his name.

Meghalaya vs Sikkim Top Team Bowlers

Rajesh Bishnoi to be Meghalaya's top bowler

32-year-old Rajesh Bishnoi weaved magic, taking four wickets for 62 runs in 27.1 overs. In the second innings he brought back his team in the competition with a five-wicket haul. He has played a total of seven first-class matches and picked 21 wickets. He has two four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls in red-ball cricket.

Palzor Tamang to be Sikkim's top bowler

The 29-year-old right-arm pacer picked a five-wicket haul in the second innings and played a very important role in his side's 8-wicket win. He had picked 12 wickets at an average of 20.41 in three matches. Overall, he has played 16 first class-matches and picked 40 wickets at an average of 26.65.