Karnataka to face Vidarbha in Vijay Hazare Trophy final: Preview
What's the story
The grand finale of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 will be played on Saturday, January 18.
The summit clash will see Mayank Agarwal's Karnataka take on Karun Nair-led Vidarbha at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.
Both teams have been on a roll and would like to go all the way.
Here we look at the match preview and key stats.
Details
Pitch report and streaming details
Batters have had a hard time at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara as spinners have enjoyed operating in the middle overs.
However, the second semi-final between Vidarbha and Maharashtra saw both teams post 300-plus totals. Hence, one can again witness a high-scoring duel.
Meanwhile, fans can watch the action live on JioCinema app and website or tune into the Sports18 network for telecast (1:30pm IST).
Karnataka
Karnataka's journey to the final
Karnataka booked their berth in the final by defeating defending champions Haryana in a thrilling first semi-final match.
The Mayank Agarwal-led team won the match by five wickets.
Earlier in the tournament, Karnataka topped Group C, having won six of their seven league-stage games.
They then went past Baroda in the quarter-final. Notably, Karnataka have won each of their previous four VHT finals.
Vidarbha
Vidarbha's triumphant path to the final
In the second semi-final, Vidarbha thrashed Maharashtra by a whopping 69 runs to qualify for their maiden VHT final.
The win was set up by centuries from Dhruv Shorey and Yash Rathod and a brilliant show from captain Karun Nair.
Vidarbha had topped Group D, having clinched all their six games. They then triumphed over Rajasthan in the quarter-final.
XIs
Here are the playing XIs
Vidarbha (Probable XI): Dhruv Shorey, Yash Rathod, Karun Nair (c), Apoorv Wankhade, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shubham Dubey, Harsh Dubey, Nachiket Bhute, Parth Rekhade, Yash Thakur, Darshan Nalkande.
Karnataka (Probable XI): Mayank Agarawal (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Aneesh KV, Smaran Ravichandran, Krishnan Shrijith (wk), Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Raj, Shreyas Gopal, Prasidh Krishna, Vasuki Koushik, Abhilash Shetty.
Stats
Key performers for Karnataka
Mayank Agarwal has led Karnataka from the front as he is the season's second-leading run-getter with 619 runs at 103.16.
This includes four centuries. Devdutt Padikkal recorded scores worth 102 and 86 in the quarter-final and semi-final, respectively.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Shreyas Gopal is dominating the bowling chart for the team, having scalped 18 wickets at 24.22.
Pacer Vasuki Koushik is right behind the leg-spinner with 15 scalps at 26.20
Stats
Key performers for Vidarbha
Karun Nair is on a run-scoring spree for Vidarbha, having scored five tons across seven innings.
He has scored 752 runs so far, having been dismissed just once.
Openers Dhruv Shorey (384 runs at 64) and Yash Rathod (384 runs at 76.80) have also contributed significantly.
With 15 wickets at 24.20, Nachiket Bhute is the team's leading wicket-taker. Harsh Dubey trails him with 14 scalps at 22.78.
Poll
