Nagpur: Mumbai, who routed minnows Tripura by 10 wickets in their last league game to book their knock-out berth, will lock horns with Karnataka in what promises to be a no-holds-barred Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match between two battle-hardened teams commencing on Thursday.
Mumbai drubbed Tripura at the Wankhede Stadium in what was a must-win game for the 41-times Ranji Trophy champions to gather some timely momentum after a sluggish earlier phase.
The Mumbai opening pair of in-form young batsman Prithvi Shaw, who has hit three hundreds and two fifties in his debut season, and Jay Bista, who scored a hundred in the last game, will need to be at their best to negotiate the incisive Karnataka attack and give them a sound start.
Meanwhile, Karnataka has a strong batting line up consisting experienced batsmen like Mayank Agarwal, the top run getter in this Ranji season, and Karun Nair who will give some tough time to Mumbai.
