Legends League Cricket 2022: Mire and Masakadza fire as India Capitals reign over Gujarat Giants

The
win
at
the
Arun
Jaitley
Stadium
was
the
Capitals’ second
of
the
League
and
they
now
occupy
the
top
spot
in
the
standings.
The
Giants
have
also
won
two
matches,
but
they
are
placed
second
by
virtue
of
having
an
inferior
net
run
rate
than
the
Capitals.

Chasing
a
153-run
target,
after
electing
to
bowl
first,
the
Capitals
were
off
to
a
good
start
with
captain
Gautam
Gambhir
and
Mire
combining
well.
They
raced
to
48
in
four
overs
before
Gambhir
was
trapped
lbw
by
Giants
spinner
KP
Apanna.

Mire
did
not
last
long
thereafter,
but
his
brisk
innings
provided
the
Capitals
with
an
ideal
platform
to
launch
their
chase.
The
33-year-old
former
Zimbabwe
batter
slammed
41
off
just
23
balls
with
five
boundaries
two
huge
sixes.

Masakadza
then
picked
up
the
baton
from
compatriot
Mire
to
keep
the
Capitals
on
track.
Along
with
former
West
Indies
international
Denesh
Ramdin,
Masakadza
shared
a
52-run
partnership
to
propel
the
Capitals
closer
to
the
target.

Masakadza
made
50
off
34
balls
with
seven
fours
and
a
six
and
by
the
time
the
Giants
managed
to
get
rid
of
him,
the
Capitals
were
only
25
runs
away
from
the
target.
They
completed
the
chase
in
18.5
overs.

Earlier,
the
Tillakaratne
Dilshan,
who
was
leading
the
Giants,
played
a
captain’s
knock.
Opening
the
innings,
he
remained
not
out
on
75
from
59
balls
to
guide
the
Giants
to
a
respectable
total.

That
No.8
batsman
Graeme
Swann’s
26
was
the
next-best
score
in
the
Giants’ innings
speaks
of
the
significance
of
Dilshan’s
effort.

The
Giants
had
begun
well
with
Irishman
Kevin
O’Brien
unleashing
his
boundary
shots,
but
the
Capitals
bowlers,
led
by
50-year-old
Pravin
Tambe,
put
a
lid
on
their
scoring
by
scalping
regular
wickets.

While
the
Giants
were
47
without
loss
after
the
fifth
over,
they
slipped
to
57/5
in
the
ninth
over.
The
mid
innings
collapse
hurt
them
badly
and
they
never
really
recovered
from
that
though
Dilshan
played
a
masterful
knock.

Alongside
Tambe
(2/30),
Ashley
Nurse
too
bowled
well,
picking
up
2/28.