Haryana and Mumbai don’t often face each other in a Ranji Trophy fixture, but when they do, it turns out to be a memorable game.
Haryana won its first and only red-ball title after beating Mumbai in the 1990/91 final by two runs; in the 2013/24 season, the great Sachin Tendulkar played his last domestic match against the team from the north.
On Saturday, the fixture returns after over a decade, and the last-minute venue change has already given the Haryana vs Mumbai quarterfinal its first twist; given how the teams stack up, it won’t be the last.
A shift in venue from Rohtak’s Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium to Eden Gardens in Kolkata slims down host Haryana’s advantage and boosts defending champion Mumbai’s yet another claim for a semifinal spot. However, it won’t be an easy task the way the Ankit Kumar-led side has been playing.
Haryana has been unbeaten this season: it drew against Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka – four quality sides. Mumbai, on the other hand, suffered two losses – against Baroda and Jammu & Kashmir.
READ MORE | Haryana vs Mumbai quarterfinal match shifted from Lahli to Kolkata at the last minute
Ajinkya Rahane’s team has been vulnerable to batting collapses on multiple instances this season, asking the lower middle order, which comprises Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, and Shardul Thakur, to do the repairs.
While the trio has done its job to good effect, it would require heavy efforts from the top order to put pressure on Haryana’s bowling attack. Ayush Mhatre and Siddhesh Lad are in good touch this season. While 17-year-old opener Mhatre has scored 413 runs, Lad has amassed 518 runs batting in the middle order.
With Rahane being the glue of the batting lineup, the addition of Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube makes Mumbai’s batting heavy on experience.
Host Haryana would bank on Anshul Kambhoj, who leads the bowling attack, claiming 29 wickets at an average of 11.76. He has found support in Anuj Thakral, who has claimed 16 scalps in his two First-Class matches so far.
Jayant Yadav leads the spin department, where Nishant Sindhu has come up the ranks to become a valuable all-rounder. Apart from the left-arm tweaker’s 16 wickets, Sindhu’s 333 runs batting in the middle order have made him Haryana’s mainstay.
Captain and opener Ankit leads the batting department scoring 427 runs – most for Haryana this season so far. With Himanshu Rana slotting in at number three, the top order appears solid and well-balanced.
The batters will face Shardul, fresh off taking a hat-trick against Meghalaya, who looks threatening with the new ball. However, it will be the spin trio of Mulani, Kotian, and Himanshu Singh that will pose a challenge for the batters.