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VADODARA: In a big blow to Mumbai, the domestic giants went into their Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinal match against Karnataka at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday without two of their key players — in-form batsman Sarfaraz Khan and pacer Tushar Deshpande.TOI has learnt that Sarfaraz, who had smashed a record 15-ball fifty against Punjab in the last league match of the stage — the fastest by an Indian in List A cricket — injured his finger after being struck by a ball from Sairaj Patil while batting in the nets.
Having scored 303 runs in six matches at an average of 75.75, with a strike rate of 190.56 and a highest score of 155 off 75 balls against Goa, Sarfaraz has been Mumbai’s highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare this season by a long margin.Deshpande, meanwhile, had to rush back from Bengaluru to Mumbai due to an emergency situation at home — his wife, Nabha Gaddamwar, is about to give birth to their child and has been admitted to hospital. “He has informed and sought permission from the Mumbai Cricket Association president Ajinkya Naik and secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar to fly back home immediately,” a source told this paper.Deshpande took five wickets in six matches at 58.60 in the league stage, and is likely to rejoin the Mumbai team if they are still in the knockouts later in the tournament.Opener Ishan Mulchandani replaced Sarfaraz in the XI and was batting on 16 as Mumbai reached 27 without loss in the eighth over after Karnataka asked the visitors to bat first.
