A month of an electric action across Uttar Pradesh, UP T20 League 2024 gears up for its playoff phase. The first qualifier of the competition is scheduled to take place today, 11 September, Wednesday at 3 P.M. IST. It will table-toppers Meerut Mavericks against second-placed Lucknow Falcons at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
They came close but could not claim the UP T20 League trophy last year as Meerut Mavericks lost in the finals to Kashi Rudras. But under his leadership, Rinku Singh has shown much resilience and determination this season by finishing the league phase with an impressive 8-2 record. Interestingly, two of their defeats had come against Lucknow Falcons. However, Meerut skipper Rinku Singh would not feature in the match as he has been selected into the India B squad for Duleep Trophy 2024.
On the other hand, the Lucknow Falcons enter Qualifier 1 with much-much swagger. As alluded to above, the Falcons are the only team to have outdone the Meerut Mavericks once but on two occasions this season. Their recent form has been good, confirming a playoff slot as the second-best ranked team in the season so far. For the season, Lucknow has 6 wins against 4 losses.
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Meerut Mavericks Vs Lucknow Falcons, Match Details
Time: 3:00pm Indian Standard Time (IST), September 11, Wednesday 2024
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Meerut Mavericks vs Lucknow Falcons Head-to-Head Battle
Meerut Mavericks: 3
Lucknow Falcons: 2
Meerut Mavericks vs Lucknow Falcons Weather Forecast And Pitch Report
Weather Forecast: Thunderstorm is expected for the entire day in Lucknow. A delay can be expected, the humidity will remain 79-88%.
The temperature will be between 30-28 degrees Celsius
Pitch Report: The conditions will remain average for both batting and bowling.
Meerut Mavericks vs Lucknow Falcons, Expected Playing XI
Meerut Mavericks: Akshay Dubey, Swastik Chikara, Madhav Kaushik (C), Rituraj Sharma, Uvaish Ahmed, Yash Garg, Diyansh Joshi, Vijay Kumar, Zeeshan Ansari, Vishal Chaudhary, Vasu Vats
Lucknow Falcons: Harsh Tyagi, Kritagya Singh, Priyam Garg (C), Parth Palawat, Aaradhya Yadav, Sameer Choudhary, Vipraj Nigam, Parv Singh, Prashant Chaudhary, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh
Meerut Mavericks vs Lucknow Falcons, Top Players
Meerut Mavericks: Swastik Chikara has been in extraordinary form in the UP T20 League 2024. Continuing from his fine performance of last season, Chikara has managed to score 431 runs in 10 innings this year at a destructive strike rate of 189.87 and an average of 53.88.
On the bowling front, it is Zeeshan Ansari who has proved to be the most consistent performer for the Meerut Mavericks. With 21 scalps in 10 matches, Ansari leads the chart of leading wicket-takers in this league and has emerged as an important cog in the triumphs of his team. His consistency has made sure that skipper Rinku Singh never digs into his bench for an alternative.
Lucknow Falcons: Great bowling skills of Vipraj Nigam have largely helped the Lucknow Falcons run into the playoffs of the UP T20 League. The second highest wicket-taker this season, Nigam has picked up 20 wickets in 10 matches and proved to be an important asset to his team.
Meerut Mavericks vs Lucknow Falcons – Match Prediction
On the other side, experienced Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn’t gotten into rhythm yet in the UP T20 League 2024. One of India’s premium fast bowlers, Bhuvneshwar, has managed only 5 wickets in 9 matches, with an economy of 6.23, but his experience might be crucial in turning his season around and guiding his team in their potential crown on 14th September.
Qualifier 1 of the UP T20 League 2024 promises to be a cracker of a game with two of the best teams of the season locking horns. Table-toppers Meerut Mavericks topped the league stage with 8 wins and only 2 losses, both at the hands of the Lucknow Falcons. The Falcons, however had a poor beginning and were near the last position of the table before surging back into form and booking their place in the playoffs.
This season, the Ekana Cricket Stadium has not been its usual slow pitch. It has thrown up some surprises and unlike previous years when the conditions suited the spinners, this time it is the pacers who have stolen the show. As many as 58 percent of the wickets fallen till now have fallen to pacers and only 42 percent to spinners.
Both the teams are well-matched and talented in different aspects of the game. Meerut Mavericks gained momentum with brilliant performances from opener Swastik Chikara to lead the batting packs.
When it comes to pace bowling, either side owns some strong units. Zeeshan Ansari has been the game-changer for Meerut with 21 wickets while Vipraj Nigam has been equally good for Lucknow, picking up 20 wickets.
But that is not to say Meerut have been absolutely free of middle order worries. Rinku Singh has been in great form but the inconsistency of Madhav Kaushik and Rituraj Sharma does suggest that all is not quite right with their middle order. As for the Lucknow Falcons, their batting depth will be tested against one of the most potent pace attacks in the league.
Meerut Mavericks vs Lucknow Falcons– Points Table
| Team | P | W | L | NR | NRR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Meerut Mavericks | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | +1.502 | 16 |
 Lucknow Falcons | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | +0.539 | 12 |
 Kashi Rudras | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | -0.266 | 10 |
 Kanpur Superstars | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | -0.390 | 10 |
 Gorakhpur Lions | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | -0.032 | 8 |
 Noida Super Kings | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | -1.219 | 4 |
