Oval Invincibles vs London Spirit Prediction: Can Maxwell bring Spirit some joy? I think so

In the Hundred, things are different than the regular T20 leagues. It started last year and thus another season is underway in what promises to be another entertaining battle. To continue the league, Oval Invincibles will clash against London Spirit in the second game of the tournament. Can the Spirit break the soul of the Invincibles?

Oval couldn’t make it to the top-three last season, coming in fourth place, but it proved that they are in for a close battle with their roster. The team will be without Saqib Mahmood for the entire season who was quite effective as a strike bowler. Mahmood’s void can be filled by Mohammad Hasnain to an extent who has a lot of pace but still needs to perform more control. The ace is perhaps Sunil Narine who remains a big factor with the ball even at 33 years old. Can Reece Topley give the team some boost as the strike bowler?

Another big factor can be Jason Roy, that is in the batting section. Roy’s form hasn’t been the same for quite a few months and it has rather reached alarming levels. Rilee Rusuow will need to patch up strong scoring and captain Sam Billings will need to showcase his cheeky batting. Sunil Narine gives the extra dimension as a batter whereas Sam Curran can be relied on as an all-arounder. Invincibles have been hit by a ton of injuries and will need special performances.

London Spirit will receive a huge boost from the inclusion of Glenn Maxwell. It was a much-needed boost considering the team was the last placed last season. To add to their boost, Ben McDermott who is in the form of his life is also going to pose a significant threat. The Spirit’s batting was poor last season and was unable to gather momentum both while chasing or batting first. Eoin Morgan needs to figure out his long-missing touch for Spirit to have a strong middle-order.

The bowling doesn’t look strong for the Spirit and they will need to figure out combinations that are make-do without the presence of specialists. Seriously, London’s bowling looks a bit hollow but many a times, such units are able to build great partnerships. Mason Crane can be a strong spin option but the team needed pacer Mark Wood as an striking option first up. Can young Blake Cullen find a place in the lineup. How will the Spirit identify a viable bowling unit?

On the surface, the Invincibles seem to have a stronger bowling attack while the Spirit seems to have a better batting team. The difference-makers for the Spirit can be the Australian duo of Ben McDermott and Glenn Maxwell. The Invincibles can pull things back with bowling choices of Hasnain, Topley, and Narine, three incredible options presenting a lot of variety. The Spirit seems to lack the bite in the bowling department but the presence of Maxwell and McDermott makes me back them.