<p>Eighty-eight premier domestic cricketers will battle out in hazardous Delhi air when the four quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament kicks off at the national capital here on Thursday.</p>.<p>A toxic haze has enveloped Delhi ever since Diwali with authories in the NCR region making desperate efforts to contain the spiralling air pollution levels.</p>.<p>Despite the toxic air, the pre-quarter finals of the coveted domestic T20 championship were held at the Arun Jaitley stadium and the Airforce ground in Palam without any fuss.</p>.<p>The quarterfinals are also scheduled in Delhi with the two venues hosting two games each, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.</p>.<p>On cricketing front, an unbeaten and fancied Rajasthan will face its toughest opponent when they take on Vidarbha.</p>.<p>For Vidarbha, opener Atharva Taide and skipper Akshay Wadkar are among runs and the duo would like to take on a strong Rajasthan attack, comprising the likes of pacer Tanveer-ul-Haq and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.</p>.<p>The role of middle-order batters Shubham Dubey and Jitesh Sharma, who played a cameo against Maharashtra, would be vital, if the side has to chase or set up a big total.</p>.<p>In the bowling department, left-arm orthodox bowler Akshay Karnewar and seasoned off-spinner Akshay Wakhare, would be key to their success and their eight overs could decide the match's fate.</p>.<p>Young right-arm pacer Yash Thakur's confidence would be bolstered by his three-wicket haul in the pre-quarters, but he would need support from Darshan Nalkande.</p>.<p>For Rajasthan, Deepak Hooda, who shifted from Baroda, has been their batting mainstay and has delivered on every occasion.</p>.<p>But he would need assistance from skipper Ashok Maneria, Mahipal Lomror and others. Their bowlers will also need to bowl in right areas to stop marauding Vidarbha batters.</p>.<p>In another clash, defending champion Tamil Nadu face Kerala in a 'southern derby'.</p>.<p>The Vijay Shankar-led TN team, the Group A topper, appeared in good form save for a shock defeat to Goa, and will need to be at its best against Sanju Samson's team.</p>.<p>Though they will be without the services of B Aparajith, who has been picked for the India A squad, the TN batting has a lot of firepower.</p>.<p>Openers N Jagadeesan and Hari Nishaanth have looked in good touch, so has newcomer Sai Sudarshan and their contribution along with Shankar's will be vital.</p>.<p>Spinner R Sai Kishore has been his usual thrifty self, while leg-spinner M Ashwin has picked up wickets and the duo will be key if TN hopes to restrict Kerala, which boasts of aggressive batters like Sanju Samson and Mohammed Azharuddeen.</p>.<p>Another exciting clash will be on the cards when Karnataka take on Bengal.</p>.<p>Karnataka would be keen to seek revenge against Bengal after losing their last Elite B group game to them in Guwahati.</p>.<p>Karnataka made the quarters after beating Saurashtra in the pre-quarters, while Bengal directly qualified.</p>.<p>Experienced campaigners, Manish Pandey and Karun Nair, who faltered in the pre-quarters, would hope to fire on all cylinders. Equally important would be the role of opener Rohan Kadam and middle-order batters Aniruddha Joshi and Abhinav Manohar, who steered the team to win in the pre-quarters.</p>.<p>Karnataka spinners J Suchith and leg-spinner KC Cariappa will have to bowl in tandem to stop the in-form Bengal line up, which will be bolstered by the inclusion of Shreevats Goswami.</p>.<p>In absence of seasoned pro Abhimanyu Easwaran, other Bengal batters need to come good.</p>.<p>In the last quarter-final, favorites Gujarat would have an edge over Hyderabad, but the southern side can spring a surprise.</p>.<p><strong>Matches:</strong></p>.<p>Rajasthan vs Vidarbha, AirForce ground Palam: 8.30 AM Tamil Nadu vs Kerala: Arun Jaitley stadium: 8.30 AM Bengal vs Karnataka: Arun Jaitley stadium: 1 PM Gujarat vs Hyderabad: AirForce ground, Palam: 1 PM</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Eighty-eight premier domestic cricketers will battle out in hazardous Delhi air when the four quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament kicks off at the national capital here on Thursday.</p>.<p>A toxic haze has enveloped Delhi ever since Diwali with authories in the NCR region making desperate efforts to contain the spiralling air pollution levels.</p>.<p>Despite the toxic air, the pre-quarter finals of the coveted domestic T20 championship were held at the Arun Jaitley stadium and the Airforce ground in Palam without any fuss.</p>.<p>The quarterfinals are also scheduled in Delhi with the two venues hosting two games each, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.</p>.<p>On cricketing front, an unbeaten and fancied Rajasthan will face its toughest opponent when they take on Vidarbha.</p>.<p>For Vidarbha, opener Atharva Taide and skipper Akshay Wadkar are among runs and the duo would like to take on a strong Rajasthan attack, comprising the likes of pacer Tanveer-ul-Haq and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.</p>.<p>The role of middle-order batters Shubham Dubey and Jitesh Sharma, who played a cameo against Maharashtra, would be vital, if the side has to chase or set up a big total.</p>.<p>In the bowling department, left-arm orthodox bowler Akshay Karnewar and seasoned off-spinner Akshay Wakhare, would be key to their success and their eight overs could decide the match's fate.</p>.<p>Young right-arm pacer Yash Thakur's confidence would be bolstered by his three-wicket haul in the pre-quarters, but he would need support from Darshan Nalkande.</p>.<p>For Rajasthan, Deepak Hooda, who shifted from Baroda, has been their batting mainstay and has delivered on every occasion.</p>.<p>But he would need assistance from skipper Ashok Maneria, Mahipal Lomror and others. Their bowlers will also need to bowl in right areas to stop marauding Vidarbha batters.</p>.<p>In another clash, defending champion Tamil Nadu face Kerala in a 'southern derby'.</p>.<p>The Vijay Shankar-led TN team, the Group A topper, appeared in good form save for a shock defeat to Goa, and will need to be at its best against Sanju Samson's team.</p>.<p>Though they will be without the services of B Aparajith, who has been picked for the India A squad, the TN batting has a lot of firepower.</p>.<p>Openers N Jagadeesan and Hari Nishaanth have looked in good touch, so has newcomer Sai Sudarshan and their contribution along with Shankar's will be vital.</p>.<p>Spinner R Sai Kishore has been his usual thrifty self, while leg-spinner M Ashwin has picked up wickets and the duo will be key if TN hopes to restrict Kerala, which boasts of aggressive batters like Sanju Samson and Mohammed Azharuddeen.</p>.<p>Another exciting clash will be on the cards when Karnataka take on Bengal.</p>.<p>Karnataka would be keen to seek revenge against Bengal after losing their last Elite B group game to them in Guwahati.</p>.<p>Karnataka made the quarters after beating Saurashtra in the pre-quarters, while Bengal directly qualified.</p>.<p>Experienced campaigners, Manish Pandey and Karun Nair, who faltered in the pre-quarters, would hope to fire on all cylinders. Equally important would be the role of opener Rohan Kadam and middle-order batters Aniruddha Joshi and Abhinav Manohar, who steered the team to win in the pre-quarters.</p>.<p>Karnataka spinners J Suchith and leg-spinner KC Cariappa will have to bowl in tandem to stop the in-form Bengal line up, which will be bolstered by the inclusion of Shreevats Goswami.</p>.<p>In absence of seasoned pro Abhimanyu Easwaran, other Bengal batters need to come good.</p>.<p>In the last quarter-final, favorites Gujarat would have an edge over Hyderabad, but the southern side can spring a surprise.</p>.<p><strong>Matches:</strong></p>.<p>Rajasthan vs Vidarbha, AirForce ground Palam: 8.30 AM Tamil Nadu vs Kerala: Arun Jaitley stadium: 8.30 AM Bengal vs Karnataka: Arun Jaitley stadium: 1 PM Gujarat vs Hyderabad: AirForce ground, Palam: 1 PM</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>