Kerala
Fourth on the combined table of Groups A and B, they have to win one and manage three points from two other matches to revive hopes. Their next match at home against Delhi will be crucial. After a draw against Hyderabad, they beat Andhra and Bengal to go top. In both games, they couldn’t secure seven points despite coming close. After losing to Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, those two points suddenly appear precious.Questions arise whether they are over-reliant on Jalaj Saxena. The team’s leading scorer with 397 runs and joint highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps, he was Kerala’s single most influential player in the two wins. A dip in the all-rounder’s graph has coincided with the team’s poor outings.
Key player: Jalaj Saxena | Mat: 5 | Wkts: 19 | Runs: 397
Knockout chances: Need a win and two first-innings leads.
Andhra
In the absence of Hanuma Vihari, they are struggling at 16th place on the combined table. Ricky Bhui is having the season of his life and single-handedly shouldering the load. But other than him, nobody in his team has aggregated 200. The likes of Srikar Bharat, who has played just two matches due to India A duties, must take responsibility.
The bowling, too, has been average, even after spinner Karn Sharma joining them this season. The bite seen in their new-ball attack in the last few seasons is missing. They are possibly the only team this season where no bowler has recorded a five-wicket haul yet. With two of the remaining four matches to be played in home conditions, they have to produce an improved performance to reach the knockouts.
Key player: Ricky Bhui | Mat: 4 | Runs: 558
Knockout chances: Bleak. Need a few wins and expect other results to go in their favour.
Hyderabad
This season has been a roller-coaster ride. Ninth on the combined table, they are still in the race. Would like to win two of the three remaining matches at home, after a crushing defeat against Madhya Pradesh in the previous match. Skipper Akshath Reddy has been the leading run getter. With Tanmay Agarwal doing alright, openers have formed a productive pair. Barring Bavanka Sandeep, the middle-order is not inspiring confidence. With 220 runs from 7 innings, Rohit Rayudu has been unimpressive so far.
In bowling too, its mainly one half doing the job. While left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan has taken 13 wickets in 3 matches in his debut season, Mehedi Hassan has kept things tight. But the fast bowlers are still to contribute significantly. Mohammad Siraj’s return will boost the pace attack. PV Sindhu eked out a hard-fought win over World No 2 and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi in the opening women’s singles Group A match of the World Tour Finals. Sindhu dished out a superb game to defeat the Japanese 24-22, 21-15. However, Sameer Verma, who is the second Indian men’s player after Kidambi Srikanth to qualify for the tournament, couldn’t adjust to the pace of World No 1 Kento Momota. He went down to Japanese 18-21, 6-21 in the opening group match.
Key player: Akshath Reddy | Mat: 5 | Runs: 436
Knockout chances: Need at least two wins to finish inside top-five.
Karnataka
Eighth on the combined table, they require at least two wins. The next game against third-placed Gujarat is crucial. After that, they play against weaker opponents like Railways and Chhattisgarh before the last match against Baroda. Despite missing stalwarts, gained three points each against Vidarbha and Mumbai and beat Maharashtra.
An unexpected loss to Saurashtra has changed equations.Spearheaded by left-arm spinner J Suchith, bowlers have taken 74 wickets in 4 matches. With experience and variety, the attack is potent. In batting, D Nischal and KV Siddharth have scored most of the runs. They need runs from elsewhere. Karun Nair has cut a sorry figure. The return of Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey will be a shot in the arm for a team missing experience in batting.
J Suchith | Mat: 4 | Wkts: 23
D Nischal | Mat: 4 | Runs: 319
Knockout chances: In it. Need a win or two and lead in other matches.
Tamil Nadu
Beat Kerala at home to keep hopes alive. Tenth with 11 points on the combined table the team has to post at least two outright wins to advance. Of the three remaining matches, they play two away. In the absence of frontline quicks T Natarajan and K Vignesh, M Mohammed hogged the limelight in the first two games. The right-armer has 15 wickets.
That he played 5 matches on the trot shows how much the team relies on him. The return of Natarajan has added an edge to the new-ball attack. With adequate spin support, the bowling looks good, although they lack a third seamer. Baba Indrajith, Abhinav Mukund, N Jag-adeesan and Baba Aparajith have hit centuries. Shahrukh Khan was impressive on debut. But they have just one 300-plus first-innings total so far.
Key player: B Indrajith
| Mat: 5 | Runs: 326
Knockout chances: Not out yet. Need at least 2 wins from 3 matches.
Odisha
Blowing hot and cold and not in a strong position to advance from Group C because of that. Two successive wins were followed by a heart-breaking two-run loss against Jharkhand. If they don’t progress, that setback in Ranchi may come back to haunt them. But they can still count a few positives that they have come up with this season.
The emergence of Subhranshu Senapati as a leading batsman is one. Fifth highest-scorer in the Elite division, the right-hander’s 157 not out had taken the team to the doorsteps of victory from an impossible situation in the previous match. He seems to have the technique, temperament and class to make news in the future. Medium pacer Rajesh Mohanty, too, has had a productive season. The team’s highest wicket-taker with 26, he has reduced the load on Basant Mohanty (20 wickets) and formed a formidable new-ball pair with him.
Key player: Subhranshu Senapati | Mat: 5 | Runs: 477
Knockout chances: Seem to have missed the bus for knockouts.