Karnataka vs Mumbai: Heavyweight tussle for a final berth in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Something’s got to give on Thursday as two heavyweights in smashing form come head to head in what promises to be a cracking Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal at the Palam Air Force Ground in New Delhi.

Defending champions Karnataka, who have bounced back spectacularly following the opening game loss against Uttar Pradesh by flooring their next five opponents under a mountain of runs, take on unbeaten Mumbai, whose batsmen too have been in sizzling touch.

While picking a favourite for such a big clash is always difficult, the odds though appear slightly in favour of Karnataka as Mumbai will be without two key batsmen -- Suryakumar Yadav and regular skipper Shreyas Iyer out on national duty.

Karnataka coach Yere Goud, however, refused to believe his side has an advantage, saying Mumbai have enough firepower in their ranks. “One can never take Mumbai lightly. There's a reason why they have won so many titles and are a powerhouse in India. Yes, Surya and Shreyas may be out on India duty but they've still got Prithvi (Shaw) who has been in sensational form with a double century. They are unbeaten in the tournament and some of their wins have been lop-sided. It's going to be a cracking semifinal.”

Goud, a seasoned campaigner, was right in his assessment of Mumbai. They were without Iyer and Suryakumar for their quarterfinal against reigning Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra but they made light of it as they coasted to a nine-wicket victory, thanks to a superb 123-ball 185 not out from Shaw. The diminutive opener has been in superb touch this tournament, amassing 589 runs, including a career-best 227 not out. If he gets going then Karnataka bowlers will have their hands full.

Karnataka, however, will be confident about their own batting might. Young Devdutt Padikkal and skipper R Samarth have formed a terrifying opening combo, smashing four and three centuries respectively. They’ve also posted four century stands and in their last two associations, they put together 285 and 249.

Their plan is simple, one drops anchor and other takes the attack to the opposition. So far it has worked exceptionally well as bowlers after bowlers have struggled to stall their tag-team assault. The fact that they are a right-left combo has made lives more difficult for oppositions.

All eyes will be on the 20-year-old Padikkal. The elegant southpaw has blasted four straight tons and a fifth on Wednesday will see him become the first batsman in world cricket to create such a feat in one-dayers.

“Samarth has led brilliantly from the front while the young Devdutt has shown why he's been rated so highly,” said Goud. “With Manish (Pandey) back and KV (Siddharth) also chipping it quite handsomely, our batting looks strong. Bowling-wise also we've been quite good. We've been picking up wickets upfront and that helps. Devdutt is not thinking about the record. The kid is very matured for his age. He's just focussed on scoring runs for the team. As I said, he's formed a great association with Samarth and the two are determined to continue their good form."