Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Knock-out phase to begin on Nov 16 in 'hazardous' Delhi air

Sixty-six premier domestic cricketers will battle it out in toxic Delhi air which has been the cause for health hazards as the Syed Mushtaq Ali National T20 Championship's pre-quarterfinal starts in the national capital on Monday.

As of Monday, the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) level in Delhi was 349, which is 'Harzardous' and was recorded in the Shahdara area.

The place where two of the pre-quarterfinals will be played is Feroz Shah Kotla, which is located in Central Delhi, where the condition is slightly better with peak AQI of 249, which is deemed "unhealthy".

"The conditions are slightly better compared to past week and there is no intimation that we won't go ahead with the game," a senior DDCA official told PTI when asked if there is a chance of cancellation.

Kotla will host one match in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

On the cricketing front, Maharashtra will miss their key and in-form player Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been called up for national duty, when they take on arch-rivals Vidarbha in one of the three pre-quarterfinals. Ruturaj was the chief architect of Maharashtra's wins in the league stage and he had continued his good run from the IPL, where he was the leading run-scorer for his side Chennai Super Kings.

But having earned a national India call-up for the T20 series against New Zealand, Maharashtra will miss his services. In his absence, senior players Kedar Jadhav and current vice-captain Naushad Shaikh, will have to shoulder responsibility if the side is to score or chase big.

Kedar Jadhav has not been among heavy runs and come Tuesday, he would like to take on the Vidarbha attack with gusto and help his team advance to the last eight. Naushad, who is an aggressive batter and can take any attack to cleansers on his day, would need to come good at the Kotla. However, the duo would need support from other batters.

If a fit Rahul Tripathi, who missed the league stage due to an injury sustained in the IPL final, is available, it will surely help Maharashtra, who won the T20 domestic championship 10 years back.

Maharashtra will also have a new captain for the marquee clash as the young opener from Pune led the team in the league stage.

On the bowling front, the four overs by experienced left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav would be crucial in deciding the game's outcome.

Vidarbha were unbeaten in the league stage and had topped the group. They would be more than keen to continue the winning streak. And for that to happen, the role of spinner Akshay Karnewar would be crucial in absence of pacer Umesh Yadav, who has been picked in India's squad for New Zealand.

Karnewar had scripted history by becoming the first bowler in men's T20s to concede no runs in his spell. He will have to bowl in the right areas to stop the Maharashtra batters.

Their batters including skipper Akshay Wadkar would have to come good if Vidarbha intend to spring a surprise. If they fail to do so, Maharashtra are run-away favourites to reach the quarter-finals. 

Match starts at 8.30 a.m. IST.

Two other quarter-finals: Himachal vs Kerala: 12 p.m. at Airforce Ground, Palam

Karnataka vs Saurashtra, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, 1 p.m. IST.

(Image: PTI/BCCI)