The much-awaited and entertaining Road Safety Series is back. Making their debut with this series is the NZ legends, which will make the tournament much more interesting and nostalgic with all the stars involved.

The SA legends have lost 3 of their last 5 games in the series before the opener Vs the India Legends. But they were the inform team in the tournament until the last few games of the tournament, as they finished 3rd. The NZ Legends, however, will be looking to make a good first impression as this is the first time they will be playing in the tournament. Coming into the series, the energy and vibe within the squad are that of being competitive, as is the case with most kiwi sides.

SA legends would want to better their showing from the last season and go on to the finals. However NZ legends would be looking to not just play for fun, but also put on a competitive show.

TEAMS PREVIEW

New Zealand Legends Preview

The tournament debutants will look to make a strong impression as they play their first game of the series. The kiwis have always been a very competitive and challenging side to beat over the years, and this series will not be different from their perspective. Ross Taylor is the star name who will have the limelight and the responsibility to shoulder the batting for the kiwis. He will have the support of Jamie How, Aaron Redmond, and Scott Styris to give him enough support. The batting needs to come good, as this is their weaker department.

The bowling department is star-studded possessing absolute superstars. The main attraction is Shane Bond. He will be well accompanied by Jacob Oram, Harnish Bennett, and Kyle Mills. The bowling department looks the strongest in the series and will have to come good.

Key Players: Ross Taylor, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris

New Zealand Legends Predicted Playing XI:

Ross Taylor (c), Hamish Bennett, Shane Bond, Neil Broom, Dean Brownlie, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Jamie How, Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris

South Africa Legends Preview

SA legends were one of the teams to beat last season and looked as if they would go on to win the tournament. Their form in the last few games cost them the chance to reach the finals, but they will be looking to go one up in this edition of the tournament.

The bowling department possesses some stellar names who have been very successful at the international level. Ntini, philander, and Lee are the ones who will be the ones leading the line for the proteas. The SA legends will be looking for a strong performance from the bowling department.

The batting however will be the weaker of the 2 suits. Henry David, Jonty Rhodes, and Lance Klusener will be the mainstays in the batting lineup for the SA Legends. However, they will need to pull up their socks if the proteas need to do well in the tournament. 

Key Players: Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Nitini, Philander

South Africa Legends Predicted Playing XI:

Andrew Puttick, Morne van Wyk (wk), Alviro Petersen, Jacques Rudolph, Henry Davids, Jonty Rhodes (c), Johan Botha, Johan van der Wath, Lance Klusener, Makhaya Ntini, Garnett Kruger

Weather Conditions

The weather will be pleasant with the temperature ranging from 31c to 25c throughout the day. It will be partly cloudy and there’s some chance of rain on the match day.

Venue Details

The match will be played at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Only 1 T20 international has been played here, between India and England, which was won by England by 7 wickets. This is not a high-scoring ground, and there’s enough help for bowlers.

Toss: To Bowl

Both teams have a weak batting lineup. This will put a lot of pressure on the bowling department of both teams. The team who wins the toss will want to bowl first and restrict the opposition to a low total to reduce the pressure on the batting unit.

NZL vs RSAL

Winning Prediction

SA legends were a really good team last season, however, they don’t seem that good this season. On the other hand, NZ Legends look like a better outfit playing their debut season. The main differentiator would be the bowling of NZ legends, which looks very strong. NZ Legends are likely to start their campaign with a win.

We predict that NZ Legends will defeat SA Legends.