With SoBo SuperSonics confirming their place in the semi-finals on Wednesday, the race has been run for the NaMo Bandra Blasters who will now be playing their last game of the tournament come Thursday. However, they can still affect the way things shape up in the other group, with a win in the afternoon ending the chances of the Eagle Thane Strikers. In the evening fixture, all eyes will be on the Aakash Tigers, who would need to beat the Shivaji Park Lions to funnel a path for themselves to the semi-final.

A lot to play for on the final day of the league stages. This is what one can expect from Thursday’s games in the T20 Mumbai league.

Takkar No.1: NaMo Bandra Blasters vs Eagle Thane Strikers

The NaMo Bandra Blasters have made a solid turnaround after losing their first two matches by winning their next two, including a win over SoBo SuperSonics who were undefeated until that point. The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Aditya Dhumal have began finding form at just the right moment, with keeper-batsman Eknath Kerkar joining the party as well after almost single-handedly winning his side their previous game. The only area of concern though for the Blasters would be their pace bowling as quicks Nikhil Date and Yash Malap have failed to hit the heights they would have expected until now.

The Eagle Thane Strikers need a miracle to qualify from here on as they currently sit bottom of their group with a poor net run rate as well. Apart from captain Aditya Tare and all-rounder Alpesh Ramjani, the rest of the roster still seem to be struggling to rise to the occasion. Their batting remains their Achilles heel as they rely heavily on the aforementioned duo, and the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Sachin Wagh would be keen to change that. Bowlers have been the strong suit for the Strikers, especially their spinners Sagar Mishra, Ankush Jaiswal and Prashant Solanki, the latter registering staggering figures of 4/31 on his Season 2 debut.

Kya Bolta Hai?

After two consecutive wins, the Blasters would be the favourites for this clash. However, their fate for this game would be dependent of how they play the Eagles’ spinners.

Takkar No.2: Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs vs Shivaji Park Lions

The Aakash Tigers will play a virtual eliminator against the Lions, as their net rate is currently inferior to, who have the same number of points as them. Their bowlers have been prolific so far, with the trio of Shams Mulani, Arjun Tendulkar and Dhawal Kulkarni all peaking at the right time. Even the likes of Sylvester Dsouza and Nehal Katakdhond have put in good performances thus far. The batting department though would be targeting improvements, with bowling all-rounders Tendulkar and Mulani being their main contributors with the bat, and the likes of Doraiswamy Subramanian and Yogesh Pawar would be looking for improvements.

Shivaji Park Lions will be looking to play for pride and ending the tournament on a high, as they are now mathematically out of the race for semi-finals. Their batsman have been dismal so far this season, with the likes of Rudra Dandey and Swapnil Pradhan struggling to find their form so far. Heading into their final game against the Tigers, they would want to avoid to ignominy of losing all league stage games. Their bowlers too would be keen to improve with all except Vijay Gohil failing to make a real mark on the tournament until now.

Kya Bolta Hai?

Both sides have had a better bowling unit than a batting contingent thus far in the tournament. Therefore, the team that can bat better and negate the threat of the bowlers could emerge on top come Thursday.