<p>Bengaluru: It feels like Mumbai have won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title before even playing, before even defeating Madhya Pradesh in the final at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday.</p><p>This perceived aura is reminiscent of their gravity in domestic cricket in the past, but this isn't so much about their collective ability, though they have reached the final. This sentiment escapes rationale after a quick glance at the quality of the players in their rank.</p><p>Why wouldn't it when you have a playing XI comprising Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Prithvi Shaw and Shardul Thakur?!</p>.Ajinkya Rahane, ageing like fine wine .<p>These are some of the finest proponents the world has seen, let alone India. That's what the three India internationals in MP - Rajat Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan - will have on the back of their mind when they attempt to upset the apple cart and claim their maiden title. </p><p>If their showing against a well-oiled Baroda from a couple of days ago is emblematic of anything at all, it's that MP don't care much for opposition. Patidar's men rely on cohesion and simplicity. In a format, where the margin for error is negligible, star casts aren't the telling factor, patience and repeatable strategies are. </p><p>That does also explain why Mumbai, despite all the success and authority on the domestic stage, have only won the title once. </p>.<p>Another factor worth scratching the proverbial chin over is the below-par form of Prithvi and Suryakumar. Mumbai have relied on Rahane's narrative-defying season where he has scored 432 runs from eight games at a strike rate of 170, and on Shreyas to a degree, but should MP's unflustered bowling unit remain true, they can be put under pressure. </p><p>Avesh, Tripuresh Singh and Kumar Kartikeya have stayed wicket-to-wicket, and even though the surface at the Chinnaswamy has played evenly, they have been able to tie down oppositions. </p><p>On the topic of conditions, and this is an important one to keep in mind, there is every chance the City will experience wetness in the evening. This isn't normal for this time year to catch rain, but that's been the status quo over a week now and that could well continue to play a part when the sides line-up under lights. </p><p>Should the rain stay away, however, this contest of polarising ideologies will no doubt provide plenty of ammo for dynamic story lines.</p>.<p><strong>Teams (from): Mumbai</strong>: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Jay Bista, Ajinkya Rahane, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Sairaj Patil, Hardik Tamore (wk), Aakash Anand (wk), Shams Mulani, Himanshu Singh, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Royston Dias, Juned Khan.</p><p><strong>Madhya Pradesh</strong>: Rajat Patidar (capt), Arpit Gaud, Harsh Gawli (wk), Subhranshu Senapati, Venkatesh Iyer, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Tripuresh Singh, Rahul Batham, Kumar Kartikeya, Avesh Khan, Shivam Shukla, Kamal Tripathi, Kulwant Khejroliya, Aniket Verma, Vikas Sharma, Pankaj Chothmal Sharma, Arshad Khan, Abhishek Pathak.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: It feels like Mumbai have won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title before even playing, before even defeating Madhya Pradesh in the final at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday.</p><p>This perceived aura is reminiscent of their gravity in domestic cricket in the past, but this isn't so much about their collective ability, though they have reached the final. This sentiment escapes rationale after a quick glance at the quality of the players in their rank.</p><p>Why wouldn't it when you have a playing XI comprising Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Prithvi Shaw and Shardul Thakur?!</p>.Ajinkya Rahane, ageing like fine wine .<p>These are some of the finest proponents the world has seen, let alone India. That's what the three India internationals in MP - Rajat Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan - will have on the back of their mind when they attempt to upset the apple cart and claim their maiden title. </p><p>If their showing against a well-oiled Baroda from a couple of days ago is emblematic of anything at all, it's that MP don't care much for opposition. Patidar's men rely on cohesion and simplicity. In a format, where the margin for error is negligible, star casts aren't the telling factor, patience and repeatable strategies are. </p><p>That does also explain why Mumbai, despite all the success and authority on the domestic stage, have only won the title once. </p>.<p>Another factor worth scratching the proverbial chin over is the below-par form of Prithvi and Suryakumar. Mumbai have relied on Rahane's narrative-defying season where he has scored 432 runs from eight games at a strike rate of 170, and on Shreyas to a degree, but should MP's unflustered bowling unit remain true, they can be put under pressure. </p><p>Avesh, Tripuresh Singh and Kumar Kartikeya have stayed wicket-to-wicket, and even though the surface at the Chinnaswamy has played evenly, they have been able to tie down oppositions. </p><p>On the topic of conditions, and this is an important one to keep in mind, there is every chance the City will experience wetness in the evening. This isn't normal for this time year to catch rain, but that's been the status quo over a week now and that could well continue to play a part when the sides line-up under lights. </p><p>Should the rain stay away, however, this contest of polarising ideologies will no doubt provide plenty of ammo for dynamic story lines.</p>.<p><strong>Teams (from): Mumbai</strong>: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Jay Bista, Ajinkya Rahane, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Sairaj Patil, Hardik Tamore (wk), Aakash Anand (wk), Shams Mulani, Himanshu Singh, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Royston Dias, Juned Khan.</p><p><strong>Madhya Pradesh</strong>: Rajat Patidar (capt), Arpit Gaud, Harsh Gawli (wk), Subhranshu Senapati, Venkatesh Iyer, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Tripuresh Singh, Rahul Batham, Kumar Kartikeya, Avesh Khan, Shivam Shukla, Kamal Tripathi, Kulwant Khejroliya, Aniket Verma, Vikas Sharma, Pankaj Chothmal Sharma, Arshad Khan, Abhishek Pathak.</p>