BENGALURU: The presence of star players has added sheen to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season. More importantly, they have lit up the domestic T20 competition with individual brilliance. The likes of Hardik Pandya (231 runs, Baroda), Mohammed Shami (9 wickets, Bengal) and Shreyas Iyer (278 runs, Mumbai) have played an integral role in helping their respective teams reach the quarterfinals, starting on Wednesday.
Besides the trio, Rajat Patidar (253 runs, Madhya Pradesh), Jaydev Unadkat (7 wkts, Saurashtra), Ishant Sharma (7 wkts, Delhi), Rinku Singh (267 runs, Uttar Pradesh) and Karun Nair (229 runs, Vidarbha) have delivered. With the knockouts getting underway, it remains to be seen if star power can translate into trophy success for the teams.
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Among the quarterfinalists, four of them – Bengal, UP, Delhi and Mumbai – have tasted trophy success once each and will be keen to add another trophy to their cabinet. On the other hand, MP, Saurashtra and Vidarbha will be eying their maiden title. Baroda, twice runners-up in the last five editions, will look to go the distance this season.
While the focus will be on the crowd pullers, other players around them need to step up. Among the quarterfinalists, Baroda have thrived on team effort with skipper Krunal Pandya, who has eight wickets in the competition, and Bhanu Pania (254 runs) being the key contributors.
Baroda have been one of the standout teams, topping Group B, which included heavyweights Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Saurashtra and Gujarat among others. Baroda will carry confidence from the league performance, when they square up against Bengal at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The latter have found success via Shami, Abishek Porel (313 runs), Karan Lal (332 runs) and Sayan Ghosh (13 wickets), making the clash intriguing.
Meanwhile, Mumbai, who will meet Vidarbha in Alur, have been blessed with stars. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane (250 runs) and Shardul Thakur (12 wickets), Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav have it in them to win matches on their own. Even Venkatesh Iyer (172 runs) and Avesh Khan (7 wickets) have made their presence felt for Madhya Pradesh, who face Saurashtra in Alur.
Quarterfinals line-up:
At Alur: Madhya Pradesh vs Saurashtra (9 am); Mumbai vs Vidarbha (1:30 pm)
At Chinnaswamy Stadium: Baroda vs Bengal (11 am); Delhi vs Uttar Pradesh (4:30 pm)
