Texas Super Kings vs Los Angeles Knight Riders Preview & Prediction | 2024 Major League Cricket | League Stage
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The first match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas features the hosts, who have the rarity of home advantage in Major League Cricket, the Texas Super Kings, taking on the Los Angeles Knight Riders.
DATE & TIME: Friday 5th July, 2024 - USA ET – 8:30pm / USA PT – 5:30pm / West Indies – 7:30pm & Saturday 6th July, 2024 - UK – 1:30am / South Africa – 2:30am / Pakistan – 5:30am / India – 6:00am / Bangladesh – 6:30am / Australia – 10:30am
VENUE: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, Texas, United States
WEATHER: 30c or 86 F with no rain expected
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: USA – Willow TV / West Indies – TBA / UK – TNT Sports / South Africa – ESPN / Pakistan – A Sports / India – TBA / Bangladesh – TBA / Australia – N/A
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: USA – Willow TV / West Indies – TBA / UK – TNT Sports app / South Africa – ESPN+ app / Pakistan – A Sports / India – TBA / Bangladesh – TBA / Australia – Amazon Prime Video
TEXAS SUPER KINGS FORM: EXPLOITING HOME ADVANTAGE
In the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in 2023, the Texas Super Kings finished in the top two of a six-team table but they were eventually beaten in the Challenger by MI New York. However, with a very CSK-influenced leadership group of coach Stephen Fleming and captain Faf du Plessis are expected to come back with a bang in 2024.
LAST THREE: LLWLW
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS FORM: THE RECOVERY OF LAKR
The Los Angeles Knight Riders endured a very difficult first ever season of Major League Cricket as they finished rock-bottom. They begun their season with four successive hammerings before a slender two-wicket defeat of eventual finalists and already league winners Seattle Orcas in their final game and there will need to be a real leap from LAKR this season.
LAST THREE: WLLLL
TEXAS SUPER KINGS BETTING ANALYSIS
The Texas Super Kings will have the benefit of playing at probably the better of the two batting tracks in this tournament, at least that was the case in the ICC T20 World Cup, so there will be pressure on their top order. South Africa captain Aiden Markram didn’t have the best of World Cups with the bat but began to find some touch in the semi-final against Afghanistan and backing him to hit the ground running as TSK’s top batter in this match seems a good bet.
With the ball, TSK are set to try and damage teams with either smart change up bowling from Dwayne Bravo and Marcus Stoinis or spin with Noor Ahmad and Mitchell Santner. The best bet for them, though, to take two or more wickets in this match will be via their point of difference bowler, the excellent Naveen-ul-Haq.
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS BETTING ANALYSIS
Captained by Sunil Narine, LAKR perhaps lack a bit of depth and aggression in their batting lineup right at the top of the order but there is middle-order hitting with the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell. Their biggest threat, though, will be David Miller and, on what should and could be a good batting surface, backing a decent Miller score of 30+ runs seems a good bet.
Bowling-wise, LAKR do have the likes of Adam Zampa, Josh Little and Spencer Johnson to count on but good value could well be found in backing their domestic talents with both Ali Khan and Shadley van Schalkwyk involved. Ali Khan had a strong World Cup and backing him to take two or more of TSZ’s wickets may be worth a shot.
TEXAS SUPER KINGS VS LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS EXPERT PREDICTION
With just two venues in use during the 2024 Major League Cricket season, the Texas Super Kings will effectively be playing ‘home’ games at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas and whilst that seems like a nominal advantage in such a peculiar and short franchise tournament, that factor combined with their well rounded squad and LAKR’s lack of real star quality at the top with either bat or ball, as well as their failure last season, backing the Super Kings looks strong here.
TEXAS SUPER KINGS VS LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS TOP TIP: TEXAS SUPER KINGS TO WIN
