The Vijay Hazare Trophy is an annual limited overs cricket domestic competition organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It is named after the legendary Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare, who was the first Indian to score a Test century and a double century. The tournament features 38 teams divided into six groups, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are played at a neutral venue.
The current edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is underway, with the quarter-finals scheduled for today, December 11, 2023. The eight teams who made it to the knock-out stage are: Haryana, Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala, Vidarbha, Karnataka, Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. Here is a brief preview of the four quarter-final matches:
Haryana vs Bengal:
Haryana topped Group E with six wins out of eight matches, while Bengal finished second in Group C with five wins out of seven matches. Haryana’s batting has been led by their captain Himanshu Rana, who has scored 435 runs at an average of 62.14, while their bowling has been spearheaded by Harshal Patel, who has taken 18 wickets at an economy of 4.68. Bengal’s batting has been dominated by their opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has scored 507 runs at an average of 84.50, while their bowling has been boosted by the return of Ashok Dinda, who has taken 15 wickets at an economy of 4.77.
Rajasthan vs Kerala:
Rajasthan topped Group D with six wins out of eight matches, while Kerala finished second in the preliminary quarter-final after beating Gujarat by 5 wickets. Rajasthan’s batting has been powered by their opener Manender Singh, who has scored 560 runs at an average of 80, while their bowling has been led by their spinner Rahul Chahar, who has taken 20 wickets at an economy of 4.95. Kerala’s batting has been inspired by their captain Sanju Samson, who has scored 377 runs at an average of 62.83, while their bowling has been supported by their all-rounder Jalaj Saxena, who has taken 16 wickets at an economy of 4.56.
Vidarbha vs Karnataka:
Vidarbha topped Group A with seven wins out of eight matches, while Karnataka finished second in Group B with six wins out of eight matches. Vidarbha’s batting has been driven by their opener Faiz Fazal, who has scored 589 runs at an average of 84.14, while their bowling has been controlled by their pacer Rajneesh Gurbani, who has taken 19 wickets at an economy of 4.86. Karnataka’s batting has been anchored by their captain Karun Nair, who has scored 471 runs at an average of 67.28, while their bowling has been led by their spinner Shreyas Gopal, who has taken 18 wickets at an economy of 4.61.
Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu:
Mumbai topped Group C with seven wins out of seven matches, while Tamil Nadu finished second in Group B with six wins out of eight matches. Mumbai’s batting has been explosive, with their top three batsmen – Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav – scoring over 400 runs each at an average of over 100, while their bowling has been balanced, with their pacers Dhawal Kulkarni and Tushar Deshpande, and their spinner Shams Mulani taking 15 wickets each at an economy of less than 5. Tamil Nadu’s batting has been consistent, with their top four batsmen – Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay, Baba Aparajith and Dinesh Karthik – scoring over 300 runs each at an average of over 50, while their bowling has been varied, with their pacers Aswin Crist and T Natarajan, and their spinner R Sai Kishore taking 14 wickets each at an economy of less than 5.
The quarter-final matches promise to be exciting and competitive, as the teams vie for a place in the semi-finals. The winners of the quarter-finals will play the semi-finals on December 13 and 14, while the final will be played on December 16. All the matches will be played at Rajkot, and will be live-streamed on Hotstar. Stay tuned for more updates on the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023.
