There's something about
Karnataka in this format that keeps drawing you in. Six wins in their last ten matches at the start of the domestic season suggests a side that knows how to win close games. That run through the Vijay Hazare Trophy—a string of single-figure victories and a composed march through the knockouts—has the look of a team finding momentum at precisely the right moment. The transition back to red-ball cricket has been seamless, two Ranji victories built on accumulating runs and applying pressure.
Mumbai, by contrast, arrive at this quarter-final with a record that reflects struggle. Two losses from their last two Ranji fixtures, including a heavy defeat where they conceded 628, speak to a batting line-up that hasn't quite settled. Their one-day form was patchy at best, a series of narrow wins and deflating losses. What stands out to me is how often they've found themselves chasing totals rather than setting them, a pattern that exposes fragility when the bowlers can't strike early.
Karnataka's recent first-class performances have been built on big totals and patience. Scores of 565 and 568 in their last two matches suggest batters willing to occupy the crease, to let the game unfold without panic.
Mumbai, meanwhile, have been dismissed cheaply more than once and their only substantial total came in a match they still lost. The difference in temperament feels stark.
Still, this is
Mumbai at home, and there's always a certain weight that carries in domestic knockout cricket. History and pride have a way of shifting things. But form is harder to ignore, and
Karnataka arrive with the kind of rhythm that makes them difficult to unsettle. The likelihood, measured and considered, leans towards the visitors extending their season.
Not a guarantee, but a reasonable expectation.
