Madhya Pradesh will have to make a monumental effort to stop Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
Barring a defeat against Kerala in the group stage, Mumbai has been an unstoppable force. No target is out of reach as the batting line-up of Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Suryansh Shedge can deliver a mighty blow.
Opener Rahane in particular was exceptionally successful. Rahane, who was the tournament’s top scorer in the innings, won the PowerPlay with an electric knock.
Meanwhile, Shedge proved to be a great performer, achieving a tournament-high strike rate of 256.7. New bowlers Mohit Avasthi and Shardul Thakur did well, taking 13 wickets each.
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Madhya Pradesh depends heavily on Rajat Patidar to perform the magic knock. The Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman has four fifties in nine matches, including a match-winning knock and an unbeaten 29-ball 66 against Delhi in the semi-final.
Patidar relies on Harpreet Singh in the middle order. A steady presence, Harpreet provides the perfect foil for the attacking Patidar.
Venkatesh Iyer has dropped down the order in this tournament and in case of a fall, he may be recalled early on.
Baroda’s left-arm winger, Kumar Kartikeya, is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, even though his efficiency dropped in the knockout stages.
