Visakhapatnam, Dec 1 (IANS): India Capitals will look to secure a playoff spot with a win when they take on Manipal Tigers in their last match of the preliminary round of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) Season 2 which will be played at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.
The defending champion shared a point in their previous game against Gujarat Giants as the match was abandoned due to wet conditions. India Capitals, the GMR group-owned franchisee, are currently placed fourth in the league standings with three points and will hope to improve their position on Saturday.
Speaking ahead of the match, India Capitals’ captain Gautam Gambhir said, “The team has played outstanding this season and I am very proud to lead this bunch. I want to thank all our supporters who backed us throughout the season. Very excited about our next game as it’s our last league match and we will go all in to secure a spot in the play-offs.”
Manipal Tigers had got the better of Capitals in their previous encounter last season. However, the overall head-to-head record stands at 1-1.
Ricardo Powell (126 runs in 3 matches) is the leading run-scorer of the tournament while Kirk Edwards (115 runs) and Kevin Pietersen (81 runs) have shown good form with the bat. Isuru Udana (6 wickets) and Rusty Theron (5 wickets) have been the pick of the bowlers for the Capitals so far.
On the other hand, the Manipal Tigers are second in the points table, with two wins in three games. They will hope to solidify their playoff chances with a win in the upcoming clash against the Capitals and have the firepower from the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Robin Uthappa, Chadwick Walton, Thisara Pereira, Colin de Grandhomme and Parvinder Awana among others to perform for them.