Continuing his fine run in his comeback from ankle surgery, India pacer Mohammed Shami will be in the spotlight as Bengal face strong challenge from a rampaging Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 quarterfinal here on Wednesday.
Shami played a key role in Bengal's thrilling three-run win over Chandigarh to help them enter the last-eight stage.
Batting at No. 10, Shami hit a crucial unbeaten 17-ball 32 to lift Bengal to 159 for 9. With the ball, he bowled a tight spell, taking 1/13 in his initial three overs.
In all, Shami has now played nine domestic games -- one Ranji Trophy (42.3 overs) and eight SMAT T20 games (31.3 over) -- after returning to action. He has bowled a total of 64 overs and taken 16 wickets.
But, Baroda have sounded warning as they sizzled with the bat in the competition by setting a world record for the highest total in men's T20 cricket, posting 349/5 against Sikkim to storm into the quarterfinals.
They also broke the record for most sixes in a T20 innings, hitting 37.
Bhanu Pania led the charge with a blistering 134 off 51 balls, supported by Shivalik Sharma (55 off 17) and Vishnu Solanki (50 off 16).
Baroda's bowlers, led by skipper Krunal Pandya, has been in fine form as well and Bengal will have their task cut out.
The evening match here will see Delhi take on Uttar Pradesh who defeated Andhra Pradesh to make the cut.
Rinku Singh and Vipraj Nigam have been in fine form for UP as the duo added 48 runs in just three overs to seal their four-wicket win.
Delhi have been dominant in the group stage, securing six wins from seven matches to confirm their last-eight berth.
Priyansh Arya, with one century and one fifty, has been their leading run-getter (252), while the likes of Yash Dhull (185), Himmat Singh (179) and Ayush Badoni (102) will also look to play a key role in batting.
At Alur, Madhya Pradesh will take on Saurashtra, while Mumbai will face Vidarbha.
All eyes would be on skipper Shreyas Iyer as Ranji giants Mumbai won five out of six to top their Group E.
In-form Iyer has led from the front with 278 runs, including one century and one fifty, and averages 69.50 at a strike rate of 200.
Mumbai have dropped all-rounder Shams Mulani for the knockout stage.
Saurashtra, who secured direct qualification by being the best second-placed side in the group stages, will face Madhya Pradesh, led by India batter Rajat Patidar.
Patidar has been in fine form with three fifties in the tournament to be the leading run-getter (253) for his side.
Venkatesh Iyer will also be in focus, having become the third most expensive buy at Rs 23.75 crore in the IPL Mega Auction.
Quarterfinal Lineups: At Alur: Madhya Pradesh vs Saurashtra (9am); Mumbai vs Vidarbha (1.30pm).
At Bengaluru: Baroda vs Bengal (11am); Delhi vs Uttar Pradesh (4.30pm).
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