The S Badrinath-led side brings up the rear, alongside Himachal Pradesh, with just a solitary point. It is too early to predict a similar script as last season, but coach WV Raman knows that sooner his young side gets its act together, the better it is.

In the rebuilding phase, Tamil Nadu should consider themselves unlucky to have run into two of the stronger sides -- Maharashtra and Mumbai -- in the group. From Friday, they will lock horns with arch-rivals Karnataka at the MA Chidambaram stadium.

While the hosts will certainly hope to have the better of the exchanges, they are well aware of the enormity of the task ahead. The absence of Rahul Dravid -- who carried Karnataka’s batting in the first two games -- and Anil Kumble may not give Karnataka the same aura as in the previous matches, but even so, the visitors should not be blamed if they consider themselves favourites.

"We always knew that at some stage or the other, we would have to play without them,” said Karnataka coach Vijay Bharadwaj, adding that his side was mentally prepared for such an eventuality. 
   
Psychological edge
That Karnataka came out on top when these two sides squared off last year in Bangalore might just provide Yere Goud's side with the psychological edge, though Bharadwaj refused to read too much into that.

The return to the side of their highest run-getter last season, Robin Uthappa, should bring the much-needed stability at the top of the order. With Barrington Rowland axed, Uthappa will most likely open with Mysore boy KB Pawan. The robust scoring ways of Uthappa should be complemented by a steady Pawan.

The middle-order may not wear the similar cloak of solidity as when Dravid was around, but players like Bharath Chipli, C Raghu and Thilak Naidu can rise to the occasion. Bharadwaj indicated that there could be a toss-up between Chipli and all-rounder Gaurav Dhiman.

Kumble's non-availability paves the way for the return of left-arm spinner KP Appanna, who had a bagful of wickets in his debut season last year. There might be a sameness to the spin attack, with Sunil Joshi too being a left-armer, but this is the best combination Karnataka can hope to field. The pace department is safely tucked away in the hands of R Vinay Kumar and NC Aiyappa, with all-rounder B Akhil chipping in.

Ashwin injured
While Karnataka wear a rounded look, it's not the same with Tamil Nadu. The hosts suffered a major blow with one of their top performers, off-spinning all-rounder R Ashwin, being ruled out for at least four weeks after fracturing his left hand during a fielding session on Wednesday. Tamil Nadu have brought in another off-spinner, Suresh Kumar, as cover for Ashwin, who has scored 121 runs and taken eight wickets from the first two matches.
Ashwin's exit obviously has upset the team composition and Raman, who also doubles up as chief selector, admitted that they would have to work out a new combination quickly.

TN do have a bunch of talented, even if somewhat under-cooked, youngsters waiting to explode. In a couple of years' time, it should be an exciting team to watch, but for now, it's advantage Karnataka.
Teams (from):
Karnataka: KT Yere Goud (capt), Robin Uthappa, KB Pawan, Bharath Chipli, C Raghu, Thilak Naidu, B Akhil, Gaurav Dhiman, Sunil Joshi, KP Appanna, R Vinay Kumar, NC Aiyappa.

Tamil Nadu: S Badrinath (capt), M. Vijay, Anirudha Srikkanth, R Prasanna, K Shri Vasudeva Das, R Srinivasan, KH Gopinath, R Ramkumar, P Amarnath, R Naresh, V Yomahesh, Abhinav Mukund, C Ganapathy, C Suresh and Suresh Kumar.

Umpires: SD Ranade (Maharahstra) and SM Bandekar (Mumbai). Match referee: JN Jadeja (Saurashtra).
Hours of play: 0930-1200 hours; 1240-1440 hours; 1500-end of play.