Andhra vs Maharashtra,Round 6, Group B,Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25,2025-01-03 03:30 GMT

Andhra vs Maharashtra Preview

Match Details

• Date: 03 January 2025
• Time: 03:30 GMT
• Venue: Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai

Team Previews

Maharashtra

Maharashtra has been on a roll in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, securing five consecutive wins. They are coming off an impressive 8-wicket victory against Sikkim, where they restricted their opponents to 234 and then chased down the target in just 34 overs.

Siddhesh Veer has been the standout performer with the bat, accumulating 341 runs in 5 innings at an average of 113 and a strike rate of 109. Ankit Bawne has also been impressive, scoring 197 runs in just 2 innings, including a hundred and a fifty. Om Bhosale and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad have made key contributions as well.

In the bowling department, Pradeep Dadhe, Rajneesh Gurbani, and Satyajeet Bachhav have been the primary wicket-takers, claiming 27 wickets between them. All three have an economy rate of below 5 runs per over, making it difficult for opponents to score runs.

Andhra

Andhra has had a strong campaign so far, winning four matches and losing only one. They are coming off a commanding 10-wicket win against Meghalaya, where they chased down a target of 224 in 29.3 overs without losing a single wicket.

Ashwin Hebbar and Srikar Bharat have been the standout stars of the batting unit for Andhra, with both amassing over 300 runs from 5 innings. The rest of the batting unit hasn't had much to do so far, but Ricky Bhui and Yara Sandeep have played crucial knocks and can be relied upon to steady the ship if early wickets fall.

Among the bowlers, Satyanarayana Raju has been the most impressive, taking 8 wickets in 5 innings at an economy rate of 5.38. Yara Sandeep, Pinninti Tapaswi, and Midde Anjaneyulu are expected to make an impact with the ball.

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy offers initial seam movement, providing some assistance to fast bowlers early on. However, it predominantly favors batsmen, with a true bounce that allows for high-scoring games. Expect a competitive contest where the ball might swing in the first few overs, leading to a few quick wickets. But if batters survive the initial period, there will be runs for the taking.

The average first innings score at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy is 240. Four out of the five matches played at the venue in this season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy have been won by the team batting second. Thus, it is likely that both captains will look to field first in this game.

Prediction

Maharashtra and Andhra have been the standout teams in Group B, consistently outperforming their opponents. While both have been impressive, Maharashtra appears to have the edge, especially with their unbeaten run this season. That's why we're backing Maharashtra to come out on top in this match.

Predicted Winner: Maharashtra