Kerala vs Railways, SMAT Elite, 2025, Today Match Prediction 28 November 2025

KEL vs RWS Match Prediction & Analysis

Kerala lock horns against Railways in the second round of Group A match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 season on Friday, 28th November. The venue for this match is Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium B and the scheduled start time is 9:00 AM IST. 

Head to Head Record: The last time Kerala and Railways faced off in the SMAT was in the year 2021, which Railways won by a narrow margin of 6 runs in a tightly contested match that went down the wire. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Kerala Preview

Kerala kickstart their SMAT 2025 season with a commanding 10-wicket victory over Odisha, built on a disciplined bowling effort followed by a flawless batting display. Their bowlers set the tone early, applying pressure throughout the innings. 

MD Nidheesh delivered a tight spell, conceding just 30 runs in four overs, while KM Asif kept things controlled with only 24 runs given away. Ankit Sharma added crucial breakthroughs with his 4-0-32-1, and support from Abdul Basith and Akhil Scaria ensured Odisha were restricted to 176 for 7, never allowing them to accelerate freely.

Kerala’s chase was nothing short of exceptional. Rohan Kunnummal dominated from the start, smashing an unbeaten 121 off 60 balls with clean, confident hitting. Captain Sanju Samson played the perfect supporting role, scoring an unbeaten 51 off 41 deliveries. 

Together, they overhauled the target in just 16.3 overs, finishing at 177 without loss. It was a clinical all-round performance that sets a strong tone for Kerala’s SMAT 2025 campaign.

Kerala Predicted Playing XI:

Sanju Samson, Rohan Kunnummal, Vishnu Vinod, Ahammed Imran, Abdul Basith, Ankit Sharma, Akhil Scaria, KM Asif, MD Nidheesh, Salman Nizar, Saly Samson.

Railways Preview

Railways are coming on the back of a tough defeat after Mumbai outplayed them with a strong all-round performance. Batting first, Railways posted 158 for 5, recovering well from early setbacks. Mohammad Saif steadied the innings with a composed 48 off 37 balls, while Ravi Singh added a quick 26. 

The standout performance came from Ashutosh Sharma, who lifted the scoring rate with an explosive 61 from just 30 deliveries, striking seven fours and three sixes to push Railways to a competitive total.

In the defense, however, Railways struggled to contain Mumbai’s batting lineup. Despite brief breakthroughs from Rahul Sharma, who picked up two wickets, and captain Karn Sharma’s single strike, the bowlers were largely expensive. 

Mumbai chased the target comfortably in 15.5 overs, leaving Railways searching for improvements in both bowling discipline and early batting stability ahead of this clash against Kerala. If Railways ought to have any chance of winning this match then their bowlers will have to be spot on against an inform Kerala batting unit. 

Railways Predicted Playing XI:

Shivam Chaudhary, Suraj Ahuja, Mohammad Saif, Ravi Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Shubham Chaubey, Akshat Pandey, Karn Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Raj Choudhary, Atal Bihari Rai.

Weather Conditions

Friday’s weather in Lucknow is expected to be sunny and warm, with temperatures around 26°C. Humidity stays moderate at 43 percent, and gentle winds near 8 km/h keep conditions pleasant. With no precipitation expected, it should be a bright sunny day. 

KEL vs RWS Pitch Report

The pitch at Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium B offers a balanced track that favours both the batters and bowlers. The average 1st innings score in the last two matches played at this venue is 155. 

Toss: To Bowl

The Team batting first won one and the team bowling first won one the last last two matches played this year's SMAT at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium B. As this is an early morning match the conditions are expected to favour the bowlers at the start so teams will look to bowl first.