Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20, Semi-final 1, Haryana vs Karnataka: Preview, weather report, pitch report, match details, predicted XIs and key players

The semi-final matches of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20 will take place tomorrow at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat. In the first of the two games, defending champions Karnataka will battle the table-toppers of Super League Group A, Haryana.

Both sides won three of their four matches in the Super League and finished second in their respective groups in the first round. Haryana have played some good cricket in this tournament as their only Super League defeat came by two runs against Maharashtra.

On the other side, Karnataka had suffered a thrashing at the hands of Mumbai in their last Super League match. However, a better net run rate allowed them to make it through to the next round.

Also see - IND vs WI schedule 2019

With the match set to happen tomorrow afternoon, let us have a look at the weather report, pitch report, match details, predicted XIs and key players to watch out for.

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Match Details

Date: 29th November 2019 (Friday)

Time: 2:30 PM (IST)

Venue: Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat

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Weather Report

The fans will witness a full 40-overs match tomorrow as the skies are expected to stay clear throughout the afternoon. The temperature will stay between 32-34 degrees hence, it will make up a perfect cricketing atmosphere.

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Pitch Report

The pitch has been fantastic during the entire tournament. A lot of matches have been played at this venue and the wicket has produced some nail-biting encounters. Expect the batsmen to dominate the proceedings in a high-scoring match once again.

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Predicted XIs

Haryana

Amit Mishra will captain the team.

The North Indian state’s team has troubled a lot of heavyweights in this tourney. The leg-spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Amit Mishra has been the backbone of the team while all-rounder Harshal Patel has emerged as the ‘X-factor’ player of the team. They should not change their team despite the loss against Maharashtra.

Probable XI : Chaitanya Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Shivam Chauhan, Himanshu Rana, Rahul Tewatia, Sumit Kumar, Jitesh Saroha (wk), Amit Mishra (c), Jayant Yadav, Ashish Hooda, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Karnataka

Can KL Rahul take Karnataka to the final?

After winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karnataka will look to add one more trophy to their cabinet this year. But, the biggest thorn in their path will be team Haryana. Manish Pandey is unlikely to alter his playing XI for the match as the likes of KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal and Shreyas Gopal will look to trouble their opponents.

Probable XI : KL Rahul (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Rohan Kadam, Pavan Deshpande, Krishnappa Gowtham, Praveen Dubey, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shreyas Gopal, Ronit More.

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Key Players

Harshal Patel - Haryana's all-rounder, Harshal Patel has lit up the season with his big-hitting and wicket-taking abilities. The right-handed batsman has scored 340 runs in this season while opening the innings for his state and, he has also scalped 18 wickets in 11 matches with his right-arm medium pace.

Devdutt Padikkal - Karnataka's 19-year-old opener, Devdutt Padikkal has outshone the international names present in his team by scoring 461 runs in 10 games. He has registered one hundred and four fifties already and he will look to continue his fine form in the semi-final match.