Madhya Pradesh vs Rajasthan , SMAT, Today Match Prediction 01 December 2024

MPD vs RJS Match Prediction & Analysis

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 campaign is all set to witness a titanic clash between two teams who have had a staggering start to the new season with a victory in all matches so far. After four games into the campaign, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan make two of the five teams to have a 100% record so far. However, the two teams have produced close contests in recent times and the upcoming game at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium is likely to witness a very competitive match unfold between the two teams, as they chase the top spot in group A.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Madhya Pradesh Preview

After finishing outside the top two places in the 2023-24 season, Madhya Pradesh have made a stellar start that sees them top the table after the first four games. The big win over Bengal further reinforces the strength of Madhya Pradesh in almost every area. Rajat Patidar has quickly scaled up to 213 runs from his four innings and he is one of the top batsmen so far in the campaign with only six other players having scored more goals. Patidar remains a player to watch after having averaged 53 runs so far in the season and 43 in the last 10 matches.

Venkatesh Iyer has had a very good average over the last nine matches with 229 runs. Despite being disappointing against Bengal, Venkatesh Iyer finds himself in a position where he can deliver the expectations. On the bowling front, Kumar Kartikeya and Arshad Khan are expected to be key players for the team after having consistently delivered over the last nine matches. Shivam Shukla, though, announced his form in style with figures of 4/29 in the win over Bengal.

Madhya Pradesh Predicted Playing XI:

Arpit Gaud, Abhishek Pathak, Subhranshu Senapati, Rajat Patidar (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Harpreet Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Tripuresh Singh, Shivam Shukla, Rahul Batham, Avesh Khan

Rajasthan Preview

Rajasthan also finished outside the top two places in the 2023 season and it turned out to be a disappointing campaign for the team. After having delivered an outstanding victory over Meghalaya, the objective for Rajasthan will be to try and sustain the top spot in the group. The team are currently above Madhya Pradesh with the two teams building up a four-point buffer over the third-place team.

Abhijeet Tomar and Deepak Hooda have been two of the key players for the team over the last 10 matches after having picked up 364 and 281 runs respectively. However, it was a comfortable victory against Meghalaya thanks to a 48-run innings from Bharat Sharma. It is unlikely that Rajasthan will be counting too much on the mediocre chase against Meghalaya. 

Rajasthan will be expecting a much tougher battle in the forthcoming matches. On the bowling front, Aniket Choudhary is expected to be a key player alongside Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who is the top wicket-taker for the team with seven for the campaign. The bowlers, though, have not been exceptional for Rajasthan with much of the emphasis falling on the batsmen.

Rajasthan Predicted Playing XI:

Abhijeet Tomar, Bharat Sharma, Shubham Garhwal, Deepak Hooda, Manav Suthar, Zubair Ali, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kartik Sharma, Mahipal Lomror (c), Aniket Choudhary, Rahul Chahar

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium is generally favourable for the batsmen, especially in the early stages of the game. After the pitch witnesses some wear and tear, spinners are expected to play a significant role. The weather in Rajkot is expected to be sunny with maximum temperatures not going beyond 31°C.

MPD vs RJS Pitch Report

The venue at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium comes with a sizeable advantage to the batsmen with the pitch being able to offer even bounce. The last 10 games on this ground have witnessed an average score of 165 with around seven wickets falling on average for an innings.

Toss: To Bat

Rajasthan have one that was only on one occasion in the past three matches and their choice has been to bat first. The wicket at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot is expected to be conducive to posting a decent total. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh have also won the toss only once but they have chosen to bat first whenever they have won the toss.