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India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss out on Baroda’s group stage games in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. However, the cricketer will be a part of the squad from the knockout stage of the tournament, which kicked off on Saturday, December 21. It is to be noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made it very clear that every cricketer must participate in domestic competitions, unless otherwise advised or exempted. Pandya was recently a part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he scored 246 runs and claimed six wickets across seven matches.
The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) announced that Pandya will join the squad during the knockout stages in the tournament, subject to the team's qualification. Kiran More, a member of the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) of the BCA, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz, "He will play from the knockouts; he has informed us.” The 2024 T20 World Cup winning cricketer has not played a non-T20 official match in more than a year. The last time that he appeared in a non-T20 match was in the ODI World Cup on October 19, 2023, where he suffered an ankle injury.
He participated in all SMAT matches, and he will play in the 50-over games too: More
The former India chief selector, Kiran More said that the cricketer will play in the 50-over games. He said, "He participated in all the SMAT matches, and he will play in the 50-over games too. Baroda performed well in the SMAT, reaching the semifinals, which they lost due to wet conditions in Bengaluru. Hopefully, the team will make it to the knockouts of the VHT as well.” Baroda will be the hosting venue for Vijay Hazare Trophy’s knockout matches from January 9. The finale will be played on January 18.
Baroda is being led by Hardik Pandya’s elder brother Krunal Pandya. The team, placed in Group E, is currently competing in Hyderabad. Other teams from the same group include Tripura, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Bengal and Bihar.
