Robin Uthappa (88*) and Gautam Gambhir (61*) lead India Maharajas to their first LLC tournament victory

Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2022: On Tuesday, India Maharajas openers Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir put on a spectacular display of boundary-hitting to help their side cruise to a ten-wicket win over Asia Lions. Chasing 158, Uthappa smashed 88 off 39 balls, and Gambhir smashed 61 off 36 deliveries – his third consecutive fifty of the tournament – as the Maharajas claimed their first win in three games.

Uthappa and Gambhir batted brilliantly from the start of the chase. Former Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir was hit for two boundaries by Uthappa in the second over, while Gambhir smashed Sohail Tanvir for three consecutive fours in the third. Gambhir, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, punched the first of those fours through cover. He then lofted one over mid-off, followed by a drive through extra cover on the third ball outside off.

There was no respite for the Lions’ potent bowling attack. Shoaib Akhtar attempted to steal the ball, but Uthappa pounced with a four through square leg. Later, Gambhir sliced the final delivery of Akhtar’s only over towards backward point to collect another boundary.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders opening partners made the game so difficult for the Lions that captain Misbah-ul-Haq had to bring in Isuru Udana as the Impact Player; however, Udana was also struck for 26 runs in his two overs. The Maharajas eventually won with 45 balls to spare.

Earlier, Lions openers Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan set the tone for their team with a solid opening partnership of 73 in 52 balls. On a hard pitch in Doha, the duo paced their innings cautiously, finding the boundary only occasionally. Dilshan struggled with his traditional Dilscoop as well, surviving two close calls early on.

Both batters targeted Maharajas medium-pacer Stuart Binny. In the fifth over, Tharanga dispatched a short ball for four while Dilshan found the gap through square leg off the final ball of the over. Following the powerplay, their partnership increased to 56.

Binny eventually got Dilshan out when he picked out Irfan Pathan at short third for a sharp low catch. While Tharanga struggled with timing, his spirited 69, which included seven fours and two sixes, kept the score moving.

With 27 from 17 balls, including two fours and sixes each, Abdul Razzaq helped bring some late impetus to the innings, carrying Lions to 157, but that proved to be significantly short in the end.