MNP vs UTP 17th Match Prediction

MNP vs UTP Team Previews

Manipur

Manipur were never the favorites to top the league but with a win over Puducherry would have imbibed a lot of confidence among them. They'll now be keen to add some more wins to their tally and get into reckoning as far as the race to get to the next round is concerned. It's not going to be easy but they have a talented team that can surprise even the best in this format of the game.

 

Currently on the points table, Manipur are placed at the seventh spot with one win from a total of three matches played. They are ahead only of Puducherry, who are at the eighth spot with zero wins to their name. Manipur have a net run-rate of -1.531 and would like to improve in that department as well.

Manipur survived a close scare against Puducherry in a match they were underdogs. Even though their batting failed to deliver yet again, their bowlers ensured the total they posted to be good enough. Defending a total of 125, the bowlers kept it tight right through, even though they weren't able to pick as many wickets as they would have wanted. They were also helped by the lack of intent from the Puducherry batsmen. 

 

Manipur may not have a side as good on paper as some of the other sides in this group have, but they have tremendous fighting spirit. It helped them win the last match and they will be brimming with confidence to add another one to their tally and move up the points table. They would need to play really out of their skins and if they can do that, getting past them could prove to be a really tough challenge. 

 

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Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh started off on a pretty good note, winning both of their opening two matches with reasonably good margins but then their winning juggernaut came to an end in their third game. Even though they are still in a pretty good position, a loss here would put them in a spot of bother. A win, however, will push them right amongst the top teams and that is exactly what they will be aiming for. 

 

As it currently stands on the points table, Uttar Pradesh are placed at the fifth spot with six points to their name. Out of a total of three matches they have played, UP have won two and lost one. They do have a pretty good net run-rate of 0.990, so that could come in handy if things get towards the end of the league stage. 

Uttar Pradesh are coming into this match on the back of a surprise loss at the hands of Tripura in their previous match. While Tripura aren't known to be powerhouse by any stretch of imagination, they did an excellent job to rock Uttar Pradesh. Defending 163, Uttar Pradesh bowlers were all over the place and conceded the match with Tripura having three wickets in hands. Karan Sharma and Shivam Sharma bolwed well but there just wasn't enough support from the rest of the bowlers.

 

On the batting front, almost all their batters got starts each but none of them managed to go on and play a big knock. Priyam Garg and Akshdeep Nath did add 64 runs for the third wicket but once that partnership was broken, it went all downhill for Uttar Pradesh.

 

On paper, Uttar Pradesh have a pretty good side with young but experienced IPL players available to bat. The likes of Priyam Garg, Akshdeep Nath, and Rinku Singh will have to bat with a lot more responsibility going forward. With experience available right through and ample skill available, it would be very difficult to keep Uttar Pradesh from bouncing back to the winning ways.