Krunal Pandya to lead Baroda in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, Hardik Pandya NOT included

Domestic cricket finally is set to mark its return in India with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021. The Baroda team are amongst the favourites to clinch the championship this season, considering their stellar line-up. Despite their heroics in the group matches, the Baroda side failed to make it to the semi-finals of the competition in the previous season, and the management has introduced several changes ahead of the upcoming edition in an attempt to turn their fortunes around. 

Krunal Pandya to lead Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 

Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya have established themselves as a force to reckon with, especially when it comes to their white-ball performances. The duo also is an integral part of the Mumbai team in the Indian Premier League. Hardik Pandya, who has earned a much-deserved breather after being on the run for a long time, has not been included in the side for the domestic T20 competition. Krunal Pandya, on the other hand, has been assigned the task of leading the side in the tournament. 

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Krunal Pandya, with his wicket-taking abilities, is an invaluable asset for any side. Moreover, the southpaw's ability to tonk the ball a long way with the bat, make him a complete player. The IPL 2020 winners Mumbai have persisted with the all-rounder for several seasons now, and they have also managed to reap dividends because of the same.

With the added responsibility of captaining his side in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, Pandya is expected to up the ante in terms of his personal performance as well. It surely is a wonderful opportunity for the left-hander, and a strong outing in the tournament will give him the much-needed confidence ahead of the IPL 2021. 

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Krunal Pandya will take over from Kedar Devdhar, who led the Baroda team in the previous season. However, Devdhar is likely to retain his place in the side as an opening batsman. Veteran all-rounder, Yusuf Pathan was surprisingly left out of the side and this will be the first occasion in the competition's history where the seasoned player will not take the field for Baroda. They are placed in the Elite Group C this season and will lock horns with the likes of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

With the IPL 2021 slated to be held in India, the franchises will have a keen eye on the performances of the Indian players in the T20 tournament. 

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Baroda squad of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 

Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Kedar Devdhar, Ninad Rathwa, Smit Patel, Vishnu Solanki, Abhimanyu Rajput, Dhruv Patel, Atit Sheth, Babasafi Pathan, L Meriwala, Mohit Mongia, Bhanu Pania, Kartik Kakade, Chintal Gandhi, Pradeep Yadav, Soyeb Sopariya, Ansh Patel, Parth Kohli, Bhargav Bhatt, Pratik Ghodadra, Pratyush Kumar.

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Image source: PTI