NEW DELHI: India pacer Mohammed Shami's impressive return from ankle surgery continues as Bengal prepare to face a formidable Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 quarterfinal in Bengaluru on on Wednesday.
Shami's vital contribution included an unbeaten 32 off 17 balls at No. 10, helping Bengal reach 159 for 9, followed by an economical bowling spell of 1/13 in three overs against Chandigarh.
Since his return, Shami has participated in nine domestic fixtures - one Ranji Trophy match (42.3 overs) and eight SMAT T20 matches (31.3 overs) - accumulating 16 wickets across 64 overs.
Baroda enter the contest with remarkable momentum, having established a world record in men's T20 cricket with a total of 349/5 against Sikkim, including a record-breaking 37 sixes in a single innings.
Bhanu Pania's outstanding 134 off 51 balls, alongside contributions from Shivalik Sharma (55 off 17) and Vishnu Solanki (50 off 16), powered their batting display. Baroda's bowling unit, captained by Krunal Pandya, has also shown excellent form.
The evening fixture features Delhi against Uttar Pradesh, with the latter advancing after defeating Andhra Pradesh. UP's success was highlighted by Rinku Singh and Vipraj Nigam's quick 48-run partnership.
Delhi's consistent performance includes six victories in seven group matches. Their batting strength lies in Priyansh Arya (252 runs), Yash Dhull (185), Himmat Singh (179), and Ayush Badoni (102).
At Alur, Madhya Pradesh confront Saurashtra, while Mumbai faces Vidarbha. Mumbai's captain Shreyas Iyer has been exceptional, scoring 278 runs with an average of 69.50 and a strike rate of 200.
Saurashtra qualified directly as the best second-placed team and will challenge Madhya Pradesh, led by Rajat Patidar, who has accumulated 253 runs with three fifties.
The matches will also showcase Venkatesh Iyer, who recently became the third most expensive player at Rs 23.75 crore in the IPL Mega Auction.
Comments