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A preview of the fourth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League, 2007-08



Cheteshwar Pujara, who has scored three centuries in as many games, will be looking for more of the same against Tamil Nadu © Cricinfo Ltd

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It's that time of the season when favourites emerge for the top and the drop. Going into the fourth round, there are teams who can book their places in the knockouts with a big win, and there are some who can kickstart their journey to the Plate League if they fail to score points. A look at the Super League matches starting Saturday:

Himachal Pradesh v Delhi at Dharamshala After three matches, Delhi are a surprise No. 2 in Group A, and Himachal Pradesh have been whipped by stronger sides already. Delhi will be disappointed if they don't walk away with an outright win, but a word of caution: on the first morning of their previous match, Himachal had group leaders Maharashtra at 81 for 6.

Karnataka v Rajasthan in Mysore Karnataka have been inconsistent this season and they would like to get the better of Rajasthan who have been ordinary so far. Read Jamie Alter's preview here.

Mumbai v Maharashtra in Mumbai This western derby is no longer Maharashtra struggling against their big brothers - with some Mumbai players having moved to Maharashtra along with the coach, this is now a more competitive rivalry. What's more, Maharashtra are leading the table and Mumbai are at No. 3. Both have beaten each other over the last two years and the points table only spices up what should be a cracker at the Wankhede Stadium.

Tamil Nadu v Saurashtra in Chennai Tamil Nadu finally got going in their last match, with a first-innings lead, but Saurashtra have proved tough opposition so far. With nine points from three games, they have an outside chance of moving to the knockouts but only if they win this one outright. Cheteshwar Pujara will be the man to watch out for; he leads the rungetters' chart by a long way, with a century in each of the games he has played.

Bengal v Punjab at Siliguri Bengal have had a slow start to their season while Punjab have been patchy. Punjab currently have seven points from three games while Bengal have three from two. This one has the potential of eliminating one of the sides from the knockout race in Group B.

Hyderabad v Orissa in Hyderabad Orissa, one of the teams promoted from the Plate League, put up a stiff fight against Andhra in the third round but lost with only 23 balls to go. They don't have a point yet but are up against a side left depleted by the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and should be fancying their chances of getting on the scoreboard. Hyderabad, with five points from three games, will want to eliminate any chances of relegation with an outright win.

Uttar Pradesh v Baroda at Kanpur Baroda have made a flying start to their season and, with nine points from two matches, are looking good for the knockouts. UP, on the other hand, haven't been able to follow up on an innings win in the first match and have narrowly missed out on first-innings lead twice. Baroda are the form team but UP would like to bring their campaign back on track at Kanpur.

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