Saurashtra vs Punjab Match Prediction
India
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium
Facts
- Punjab pacer Baltej Singh is in re-hot form. He has picked 34 wickets in seven matches at an average of 12.85.
- Ravindra Jadeja picked eight wickets including a seven-wicket haul in the second innings of Saurashtra's last match against Tamil Nadu.
- Eyes will be on Saurashtra's 23-year-old wicket-keeper batter Harvik Desai. He scored a hundred in the second innings against Tamil Nadu. Desai is also the leading run-scorer for his team in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 at the moment.
Saurashtra vs Punjab Match Chance of Winning
Saurashtra are the favourites to win this upcoming all-important clash against Punjab and the reasons are many. Saurashtra will be playing at home and will have that advantage against Punjab who last played at the venue in 2014.
Two Saurashtra batters have scored over 500 runs, three have scored over 300 runs and two have scored over 200 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara did not feature in Saurashtra's last match against Tamil Nadu but might turn up for this crucial knockout clash against Punjab. In his last outing for his domestic team, Pujara scored 91 runs in the second innings against Andhra. His inclusion will strengthen the already in-from batting unit. Two more India internationals Ravindra Jadeja and Jaydev Unadkat are very likely to feature in the eleven. All these players are part of the first two Tests against Australia but considering that the Saurashtra vs Punjab match will end by February 4 and the first Test begins from January 9, the trio have a high chance of representing their domestic side. Jadeja picked eight wickets including a 7-wicket haul in the second innings versus Tamil Nadu, Unadkat has picked 17 wickets in three matches at an average of 13.64. Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja is the highest wicket-taker for his team. He has picked 29 wickets in seven matches at an average of 32.03. He is followed by off-spinner Yuvrajsinh Dodiya. He has picked 26 wickets in five matches at an average of 21.57. Pacers Chetan Sakariya and Chirag Jani have also chipped in with 14 and 12 wickets respectively.
Punjab batters have bloomed late in the tournament. No batter from the team has over 400 runs in the tournament even after seven rounds of matches in the group stage. Prabhsimran Singh (389), Punjab's highest run-scorer, hasn't scored a fifty in his last five outings. One batter or the other has stood up for Punjab in all the matches so far, but a collective effort will be required against a very strong bowling unit like that of Saurashtra. There is a lot of lop-sidedness in the bowling department as well. Baltej Singh has 34 wickets and the next best bowler in the team is Sidarth Kaul who has 19 wickets to his name in six matches.
Leg-spinner Mayank Markande (17) is the only other bowler from the team with more than 10 wickets in the ongoing season. India international Arshdeep Singh can give support to the group but he is again part of India's ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. Notably, the third and final T20I will be played on February 1.
It's clear that home team Saurashtra will have the advantage of having at least a couple of their international stars in the eleven against Punjab. Regardless. Saurashtra are coming across as a more settled bunch and Punjab would find it hard to go past them.
Saurashtra vs Punjab Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022
With Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat expected to feature in the eleven and others in the teams also in form, Saurashtra are very likely to enter the semi-final round of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23. However, the batting unit has collapsed in the last two matches and another such instance could completely derail Saurashtra's campaign. The team will have to fix all their shortcomings against Punjab in the quarter-finals if they are planning to travel the distance and win the coveted trophy.
Punjab aren't entering the match as the favourites but they have all the weapons in their arsenal to upset Saurashtra. The team has a talented bunch of batters and once they click in tandem, Saurashtra will find themselves in a spot of bother.
Saurashtra vs Punjab Match Toss Prediction
In the first match of the season at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Saurashtra opted to bowl first as the match against Maharashtra ended in a draw. Delhi won the toss and elected to bat in the second match at the venue but ended up losing to Saurashtra by an innings and 214 runs. Later, Andhra opted to bat as well and won the match by 150 runs. Considering that the upcoming game is part of the knockout round, the team winning the toss would very likely elect to bat first. Notably, in case of drawn matches, the team with the higher first innings lead is declared the winner.
Understandably, the team winning the toss on January 24 will be tempted to bat first and post a huge first innings total to put the opposition under pressure.
Weather Report
The sun is expected to shine bright during the course of the 4-day match between Saurashtra and Punjab from January 31. The temperature will hover between 28 to 33 degree celsius with humidity level expected to be less than 30 percent. Chances of rain are minimal.
Saurashtra Team List
Saurashtra Squad
Arpit Vasavada, Prerak Mankad, Chirag Jani, Parth Bhut, Samarth Vyas, Jaydev Unadkat (c), D A Jadeja, Y Dodiya, Chetan Sakariya, K Patel, Snell Patel, Tarang Gohel, Devang Karamta, Navneet Vora, Jay Gohil, Harvik Desai, Sheldon Jackson, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara
Saurashtra Predicted XI:
Harvik Desai (wk)Batsman and wicket-keeperJay GohilBatsmanCheteshwar PujaraBatsman
|
Sheldon Jackson |
Bastman |
|
Arpit Vasavada |
Batsman |
|
Ravindra Jadeja |
All-rounder |
|
Chirag Jani |
All-rounder |
|
Dharmendrasinh Jadeja |
All-rounder |
|
Jaydev Unadkat (c) |
Bowler |
|
Y Dodiya |
Bowler |
|
Chetan Sakariya |
Bowler |
Saurashtra Team Form
Saurashtra kicked off their Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season with back-to-back draws against Assam and Maharashtra. In their third match, they defeated a very strong Mumbai squad by 48 runs, and followed it with two more wins against Delhi and Hyderabad. However, the team then lost their final two group stage matches against Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu by 150 and 59 runs respectively.
Punjab Player List
Punjab Squad
Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Naman Dhir, Mandeep Singh(c), Ramandeep Singh, Sanvir Singh, Anmol Malhotra(w), Siddarth Kaul, Vinay Choudhary, Gurnoor Brar, Baltej Singh, Mayank Markande, Anmolpreet Singh, Harpreet Brar, Jass Inder Singh, Arhsdeep Singh
Punjab Predicted XI
Prabhsimran SinghBatsmanAbhishek SharmaAll-rounderNaman DhirBatsman
|
Mandeep Singh (c) |
Bastman |
|
Nehal Wadhera |
Batsman |
|
Anmol Malhotra |
Batsman and Wicket-keeper |
|
Sanvir Singh |
All-rounder |
|
Baltej Singh |
Bowler |
|
Gurnoor Brar |
Bowler |
|
Vinay Choudhary |
Bowler |
|
Mayank Markande |
Bowler |
Punjab Team Form
Punjab registered their first win of the season against Gujarat in their last encounter. Before the game against Gujarat, Punjab had played out three draws on the trot against Chandigarh, Railways, and Tripura. In their fifth encounter, Punjab defeated Jammu and Kashmir by four wickets. Punjab’s biggest win of the season came when they defeated unbeaten defendinging champions Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 122 runs in their second last group match. In the seventh and final group match, Vidarbha restricted Punjab to a draw.
Saurashtra vs Punjab Head to Head
The two teams have clashed against each other five times since 2008. Saurashtra are leading the head-to-head tally 2-1. The last match between Saurashtra and Punjab in 2014 ended in a draw.
Saurashtra vs Punjab Betting Odds
Saurashtra to win
Saurashtra are the clear favourites to win their upcoming quarter-final match against Punjab. The team has some very in-form and consistent batters and bowlers, and the expected availability of Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat will further bolster their confidence. Punjab batters have performed in patches and a collective effort from them has been rare. The bowling unit has also relied heavily on Baltej Singh. Punjab are unbeaten in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 so far and they halted defending champions Madhya Pradesh's winning run with an innings and 122 runs. But the win came in their home conditions and courtesy an unlikely MP batting collapse. Repeating the same against Saurashtra in away conditions will altogether be a different ball game for Punjab.
Saurashtra vs Punjab Top Team Batsmen
Sheldon Jackson to be Saurashtra's best batsman
The 36-year-old has a knack of making runs on big stages and the upcoming will give him that perfect platform once again. In the Ranji Trophy 2022-23, he has scored 323 runs including three fifties at an average of 32.30 in seven matches. Overall, he has scored 6343 runs in 87 matches at an average of 48.79. He has 19 hundreds and 35 fifties to his name in the red-ball format.
Mandeep Singh to be Punjab’s best batsman
Punjab captain Mandeep Singh is currently the third-highest run-scorer for his team. The right-hand batter has scored 327 runs in seven matches at an average of 54.50. A hundred and a fifty has come off his blade in the ongoing domestic red-ball season. Overall, he has featured in 91 first-class matches and scored 6096 runs at an average of 48.76. The 31-year-old has scored 15 hundreds and 32 fifties in the format.
Saurashtra vs Punjab Top Team Bowler
Jaydev Unadkat to be Saurashtra's Saurashtra's best bowler
It's uncertain that Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat will feature in his side's all-important quarter-final clash against Punjab but considering that the first Test match against Australia starts from February 9, a fair chance of his availability is there. After making a memorable Test comeback after a gap of 12 years, Unadkat picked a first over hat-trick against Delhi. The star left-arm pacer has picked 17 wickets in three matches at an average of 13.64. He can create massive problems for Punjab if he plays his fifth match of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. Overall, he has picked 373 wickets in 100 first-class matches at an average of 22.61.
Baltej Singh to be Punjab’s best bowler
Right-arm pacer Baltej Singh is Punjab’s leading wicket-taker of the season with 34 wickets in seven matches at an average of 12.85. Against Gujarat, Baltej bagged 11 wickets in the match to be declared as the Player of the Match. In the match against Jammu and Kashmir, Baltej registered a five-wicket haul in both the innings. In the following match against Madhya Pradesh, he picked two wickets in the first innings and one in the second. In the one innings Baltej bowled against Vidarbha, he picked three wickets for 53 runs. In total, the 32-year-old has registered 89 wickets in 25 first-class matches at an average of 20.34. Also, he has five five-fers to his name.
Our Prediction
Favorites to win: Punjab
Saurashtra are the clear favourites to win their upcoming quarter-final match against Punjab. The team has some very in-form and consistent batters and bowlers, and the expected availability of Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat will further bolster their confidence. Punjab batters have performed in patches and a collective effort from them has been rare. The bowling unit has also relied heavily on Baltej Singh. Punjab are unbeaten in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 so far and they halted defending champions Madhya Pradesh's winning run with an innings and 122 runs. But the win came in their home conditions and courtesy an unlikely MP batting collapse. Repeating the same against Saurashtra in away conditions will altogether be a different ball game for Punjab. Saurashtra to win - 2.14 (Melbet) Punjab to win - 1.69 (Melbet)
