Akshay Wadkar-led Vidarbha has already qualified for the knockout stages and is assured of the top spot in the group regardless of the result in the final game. On the other hand C.V. Milind-led side is out of contention for a playoff spot from Group B, currently placed fourth with 16 points from six encounters.
This season is good for Vidarbha batters especially young Yash Rathod, skipper Akshay Wadkar who have already aggregated 500-plus tallies this season. Left-arm-spinning all-rounder Harsh Dubey has been Vidarbha’s bowling lynchpin this season, picking up 47 wickets, more than anyone else in the competition. Vidarbha has a solitary change from its hard-fought win over Rajasthan in its previous encounter – Yash Thakur replacing Darshan Nalkande
Hyderabad’s Tanmay Agarwal too has had a season to boast of, currently leading the competition’s run-scoring charts with 792 runs in six matches. But, apart from the left-handed opener, only two batters have managed a triple-figure knock and therein lies the issue.
Hyderabad’s pace attack will receive a major boost following the availability of Mohammed Siraj, who was overlooked for India’s limited-over assignments. The team will be hoping for some new-ball wickets from the frontline pacer to dent the Vidarbha lineup early.
Teams
Vidarbha:Akshay Wadkar (Captain & WK), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Shubham Kapse, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (WK),
Yash Thakur, Danish Malewar, Parth Rekhade, Karun Nair and Dhruv Shorey.
Hyderabad: CV Milind, (Captain), Tanay Thyagarajan, ( Vice Captain), Tanmay Agarwal, Abhirath Reddy, P Nitish Reddy, Varun Goud, Himateja, Nitesh Kanala, Rahul Radesh (W K), Avanish Rao (WK), Saranu Nishanth, Aniketh
Reddy, Rakshann Readdi, Mohammad Siraj and Rahul Budhi.