Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20: Preview – November 8

Friday, November 8 will feature 18 matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20, with three matches each in Group A and Group B, four each in Group C, Group D and Group E.  

Group A (at Visakhapatnam): Andhra vs Bihar, Karnataka vs Uttarakhand, Baroda vs Goa

The defending champions, Karnataka, take on Uttarakhand first up in what is the big match in this group. Karnataka went through their last campaign unbeaten and won the trophy in February early this year. They come into this tournament after winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, and the domestic biggies will be pumped up. Andhra take on Bihar while Baroda clash with Goa in the group’s other matches on Friday.

Group B (at Thiruvananthapuram): Kerala vs Tamil Nadu, Manipur vs Rajasthan, Tripura vs Vidarbha

The highlight in this group, clearly, is the clash between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Both teams failed to make it to the Super League stage last year, but with Tamil Nadu suffering the disappointment of a defeat in the Vijay Hazare final, they will be buoyed. As for Kerala, who are fast-becoming a domestic team to watch out for, if not a force, they are playing at home, and will be keen to topple their biggest threat to the top spot first up. Elsewhere, Manipur and Rajasthan will clash in Thumba, as will Tripura and Vidarbha.

Group C (at Chandigarh): Arunachal Pradesh vs Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad vs Punjab, Himachal Pradesh vs Chandigarh, Maharashtra vs Railways

Maharashtra will hope to go one better in this campaign, having fallen at the final hurdle last time. They were beaten by Karnataka – fairly comprehensively – in the final last year, having had an excellent campaign till that point, with just one loss. This time, they will want to set the pace early again, and their clash against Railways, who fell at the Super League stage last year, should be interesting, to say the least.

Elsewhere in Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh will take on Chhattisgarh, who will be buoyed by their impressive Vijay Hazare campaign, Hyderabad will clash with Punjab, and while Himachal Pradesh will take on the home side.

Group D (at Mumbai): Haryana vs Meghalaya, Mizoram vs Mumbai, Assam vs Bengal, Puducherry vs Madhya Pradesh

Of the lot, it is perhaps Bengal that will be really hurting from last time. They came ever so close to making the final, and it was only a defeat to Maharashtra in the Super League stage that stopped them from making the final. They will be determined to go better this time around, but will face an Assam side that could make for a tricky encounter.

Elsewhere, Mumbai face a relatively easy clash first up, against Mizoram, Haryana take on Meghalaya, and Puducherry will hope to upset Madhya Pradesh.

Group E (at Surat): Delhi vs Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir vs Sikkim, Jharkhand vs Odisha, Nagaland vs Saurashtra

This is a tough group, with all of Delhi, Gujarat and Jharkhand in the mix. They will also, of course, hope to make it through to the Super League, but with only two places up for grabs, every point counts. So it is that Delhi and Gujarat, clashing first up, already face an important clash to start their tournament. Both teams made it to the Super League phase last year, but failed to progress beyond that. Can they this time?

Jharkhand, meanwhile, face a tricky clash against Odisha, while J&K and Sikkim take each other on, alongside Nagaland and Saurashtra.