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The last day of the league phase of the World Championship of Legends 2025 served us two thriller matches that changed the two semi-final match-ups.
With Pakistan Champions’ convincing 10 wickets victory over the Australia Champions, they have booked the top of the table position in the points table with 4 wins and one match against the India Champions itself was cancelled, so the points were shared. That means the Pakistan team ended the league phase undefeated.
Meanwhile, the India Champions surprised everyone with their unexpected win against the West Indies Champions. Both the teams were in contention for the final spot in the semi-final with England occupying the position before the start of the match.
The West Indies Champions had a terrible time batting first in this match as they scored only 144 runs with Kieron Pollard the top scorer with 74 runs off 43 balls. India Champions' Piyush Chawla took 3 wickets, and Stuart Binny along with Varun Aaron grabbed 2 wickets apiece.
Team India needed to chase the target of 145 runs in 14 overs to beat England's net run rate while a win for West Indies Champions would have meant that they would have qualified for the semi-finals. However, the Indian team displayed a great fighting spirit.
Shikhar Dhawan did well despite India being 4 down for 52 runs. The Indian opener scored 25 runs. Team India’s game-changers turned out to be Stuart Binny, Yuvraj Singh, and Yusuf Pathan. Binny scored a quick half-century and was not out till the end, while Yuvraj contributed 21 runs. It was Yusuf Pathan who ended the game with a bang, smashing 21 runs off 7 balls. India chased the target in 13.2 overs, edged out England for 4th spot, and booked their semi-final spot.
Looking at the recent form of the two teams, the Pakistan Champions have been definitely the better team. The Pakistan team has won four of their last five matches and the only defeat is from their last season’s defeat vs the India Champions in the final. As for the Indian team, they have won two matches in their last five matches and lost 3. All three losses belong to this season while one of the wins was against Pakistan Champions in the final last year and one against the West Indies Champions in their previous match.
The head-to-head record between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions is currently tied with one win for each team. Both the matches were played last season when the Pakistan team won the regular league stage match while the India Champions won the final match. As for this season, their scheduled match was cancelled due to Indian players pulling out of the match due to backlash from the fans.
The Edgbaston Ground in Birmingham is such a beautiful spot. It offers a well-maintained pitch that's perfect for exciting T20 cricket matches. There's always something for both batters and bowlers on the pitch. Fast bowlers can look forward to pace, bounce, and seam movement with the new ball, while batters can settle in and get into the game after those initial few overs. During the middle overs, spin bowlers can play a crucial role in controlling the game.
Pakistan Champions: Sharjeel Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez (C), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Sohail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Aamer Yamin, Sohail Khan.
India Champions: Robin Uthappa, Shikhar Dhawan, Gurkeerat Mann, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh (C), Yusuf Pathan, Stuart Binny, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Varun Aaron.
The Pakistan Champions team captain Mohammad Hafeez is going to be the key player for his side. The 44-year-old batter’s experience will be huge in a match as big and as important as this. Hafeez has scored 85 runs in 3 innings so far in this tournament and is one of the backbone of their middle-order.
While Saeed Ajmal was brilliant in the last match to take 6 wickets, Indian batters are much better against spin bowlers. This is where Pakistan’s one of the most experienced bowlers Sohail Tanvir can make the difference for his team. Tanvir is a very tall bowler and is brilliant with the new ball as well as in the last few overs. So far, he's taken 6 wickets in this tournament.
The India Champions opening batter Shikhar Dhawan has been the best batter for the India Champions in the World Championship of Legends 2025. He has scored 134 runs and will be responsible for giving the Indian team a good start in this match. He has most recently retired from the game so he has a great experience of competitive games.
The former Indian cricket team’s pace bowler Varun Aaron made a big impact with his pace bowling in the match against the West Indies Champions. At a venue like the Edgbaston Ground where the pacers tend to do well, Aaron could make an impact again. He is a skiddy bowler who can bowl 140+ plus which should help him a lot at Edgbaston.
After the earlier Pakistan Champions vs India Champions match was cancelled due to Indian players pulling out of the match because of fan backlash, there still looms the threat something similar might happen.
Both the teams are very well poised with talented players. Pakistan is the only undefeated team in the tournament and has displayed brilliant performance with the bat and ball. As for Team India, they won only one match in the league. Although their batters and bowlers haven't clicked well yet. But given their performance in the last match, they would be out with much improved performance.
If not for their performance vs West Indies, Pakistan Champions would have been the favourite to win, but after their performance against the Caribbean team and their record in the knockout matches, the India Champions is considered the favourite to win this match.
Disclaimer: CricOpinion provides predictions based on analysis, understanding, and intuition. Refer to records and stats before making decisions. You are not bound to follow these predictions. CricOpinion is not responsible for any losses, damages, or consequences resulting from the use of this information.
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