Leicestershire vs Gloucestershire Prediction & Betting Tips - Metro One Day Cup

Prediction published on 28/08/2023, 19:00  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 28/08/2023 at 20:06 in Cricket Predictions

The first semi-final of the Metro Bank One Day Cup will see Leicestershire take on Gloucestershire on Wednesday afternoon. The winner of this match will face either Warwickshire or Hampshire in the final. The hosts ended the group stages in first place with a record of seven wins and one loss in their eight matches. They edged out the Hampshire Hawks with a superior run rate of 1.302 compared to the Hawks’ 1.048. Leicestershire's only loss in the competition came against Nottinghamshire in the third round, which means they are now on a five-match winning streak. In terms of standout performers, Solomon Budinger has been the top scorer for the hosts, with 388 runs in the tournament. He has three half-centuries and a 100 to to his name, while Peter Handscombe managed five half-centuries. Chris Wright is ranked sixth among the top wicket-takers in the competition, with 14 so far and a best of 3/31. Despite topping their group, Leicestershire are the outsiders to win here and the biggest underdogs to win the tournament, according to the bookies. 

Meanwhile, Gloucestershire also come into this match on a five-match winning streak, though they lost two in succession in week three and four of the competition. The visitors ended in second place in Group B with 12 points, two behind the group winners Warwickshire. Ollie Price has been irreplaceable for Gloucestershire in this competition and is currently the third-highest run-scorer with 553. Price has recorded two centuries and three half-centuries in his last eight matches. Paul van Meekeren has been the standout player with the ball for the visitors, currently tied for second with 17 wickets in the competition. While they are the marginal favourites, they are arguably a little overly dependent on a few key players, which is always a little risky.