Mumbai’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) looks formidable. At least six players represented India and the new, competition-hungry winners went into action with their heads held high.
Who says an old dog can’t be taught new tricks? Mumbai opener Ajinkya Rahane, 36, is at the peak of her powers. Rahane became the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56. His stunning attacking style in the PowerPlay played a major role in Mumbai winning their second SMAT title.
Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane takes a shot during Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-final match against Baroda. |Photo source: MURALI KUMAR K/”The Hindu”
Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane takes a shot during Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-final match against Baroda. |Photo source: MURALI KUMAR K/”The Hindu”
Lakhani’s primary position is challenged by Rajat Patidar from Madhya Pradesh. Patidar looked a cut above the rest and excelled on the soft pitch of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium while his teammates struggled. Patidar’s big-match temperament was on display in the final against Mumbai when he single-handedly scored an unbeaten 81 to keep the MP team in contention.
Patidar, who was retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), received applause from the crowd. His outstanding performance in this tournament certainly bodes well for RCB in IPL 2025.
Prithvi Shaw, captain Shreyas Iyer, Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav are among the star players for Mumbai. But amid the summit clashes, little-known Suryansh Shedge stole the show. The 21-year-old came on to bat as Mumbai felt the heat. However, Shechi continued his work like a seasoned finisher, moving the attack to all parts of the pitch and scoring an unbeaten 15 off 36 balls.
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The timing of games does a disservice to the players. The IPL 2025 auction came to an end just two days after the SMAT kick-off, and the great performances in the game went unrewarded. Take Chandigarh’s fast bowler Jagjit Singh, for example, who is the highest wicket-taker. The 27-year-old made the ball move around and hit the right lengths to trouble all the batsmen. However, he still does not have an IPL contract.
Congress spinner Kumar Kartikeya is only slightly better off. With 17 wickets, he is second behind Jaggit in the wicket-taking charts. Kartikeya is a wrist-spinner with a lot of variety and puts Mumbai’s veteran batsmen in trouble. If the IPL auction is held later this month, Kartikeya is likely to fetch a much better price than the base price of Rs 30 lakh he received from Rajasthan Royals.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be a happy bunch. Unsigned in the first round, Rahane, who was named the player of the series, emerged as a value-for-money option at Rs 15 crore. Rahane will definitely play an important role in KKR’s IPL 2025 campaign.
The final held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed huge crowd participation. This is quite rare for a domestic match to be held at this venue, usually only a handful of enthusiastic supporters can be seen sitting in the far corner.
This time, the stadium was more than half full and the atmosphere was very lively. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has taken the right decision by opening almost all its doors to accommodate the continuous influx of enthusiastic spectators.
Patidar received maximum support but big names from Mumbai also got a lot of cheers.
Shrias was surprised to see a large number of fans filling the seats. “Whenever we play at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the crowds are so excited. Today they were in such huge numbers – it’s just out of this world. I didn’t expect this. When the game started, I initially saw one stand packed. People. But then the game got crazy as the pace picked up and the numbers increased. We know how much the people of Bengaluru love their RCB players but I am happy that they are supporting us as well,” said Shreyas.
