Baroda vs Jammu & Kashmir Match Prediction

Baroda remain favourites despite Hardik Pandya being rested for this Elite Group B clash. Baroda sit 4th with 12 points from 3 wins, while J&K are 5th with 8 points from 2 wins. Krunal Pandya leads a batting lineup that still includes three centurions this tournament. J&K have lost 3 consecutive matches including being bowled out for 63 against Bengal.

Team Context and Recent Form

Baroda (W3-L2, 12 pts, 4th): Lost to Vidarbha by 9 wickets on January 3 despite Hardik Pandya's stunning 133. The rest of the batting collapsed around him - a concern for this match. However, captain Krunal Pandya smashed 109* against Hyderabad, while Nitya Pandya (122) and Amit Pasi (127) have also scored centuries. Hardik Pandya is RESTED for this match as part of BCCI's workload management ahead of the T20 World Cup - he plays only Jan 3 and Jan 8.

Jammu & Kashmir (W2-L3, 8 pts, 5th): In freefall with 3 consecutive losses. Lost to UP by 58 runs on January 3 (264/8 chasing 322). Before that, Bengal demolished them - bowled out for just 63 with Akash Deep (4/32) and Mukesh Kumar (4/16) ripping through the lineup. Only Shubham Khajuria (129* vs Chandigarh) and Yawer Hassan (85 vs UP) have shown fight. Captain Paras Dogra has struggled for runs.

Key Players to Watch

Our Prediction

Baroda's batting depth gives them the edge even without Hardik. Three centurions remain available, and J&K's fragility is alarming - collapsing for 63 shows structural weaknesses that one good innings cannot fix. Krunal Pandya must lead from the front. If J&K's pace attack can replicate Bengal's success against Baroda's top order, an upset is possible, but their own batting is too unreliable to back.

Baroda at 62% confidence is our pick.

Betting Value

Current odds of 1.45 imply 69% for Baroda - higher than our 62% model probability. J&K at 2.55 (39.2% implied) also sits slightly above our 38% assessment. The market has overpriced Baroda without Hardik. Fair odds based on our analysis: Baroda 1.61, J&K 2.63. With negative edge on both sides, this is a prediction-only tip - no betting value. If Baroda odds drift above 1.61 or J&K above 2.63, reconsider.