Bangladesh are the favorites to win their opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on October 7.

Bangladesh have a better head-to-head record against Afghanistan in World Cups, having won both of their previous encounters. They also have a more experienced side, with the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad in their ranks.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, are a relatively young and inexperienced side. They have some talented players, such as Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, but they lack the consistency of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh have also been in better form than Afghanistan in recent months. They defeated Sri Lanka in their warm-up match, while Afghanistan lost to England.

Predicted XIs:

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Match prediction: Bangladesh are the favorites to win the match, but Afghanistan are a dangerous team and they should not be taken lightly.