The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) is all set to get underway from November 23, with big names like Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Bhuvenshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami in fray. Sanju Samson has been in the form of his life in T20Is, having gone on to smash back-to-back hundreds in T20Is. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer is looking to make a comeback to India’s T20I side. This year’s SMAT is going to be very special, given the number of superstars who will be featuring in the tournament.
All eyes on Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer & Hardik Panyda in SMAT
While Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson will enter Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with more T20I experience than Shreyas Iyer, the Mumbai batter has been handed the captaincy for the tournament. He will be in charge of a team that comprises of Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw. The onus will be on Iyer to make his bat do the talking, for that is the only way for him to find his way back to the T20I side. Meanwhile, the stakes are high for Prithvi Shaw too, as he will be keen to redeem himself after being dropped midway through the Ranji Trophy for being overweight.
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Kerala has named Sanju Samson as skipper for SMAT. The keeper-batter has been in exceptional form since IPL 2024 and has performed brilliantly in T20Is despite being benched throughout the T20 World Cup. Another star to look out for would be Hardik Pandya. The number one all rounder has linked up with Baroda for the tournament and will play under his brother Krunal Panyda. Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be leading UP while Mohammed Shami will be a part of Bengal.
Matches will be conducted at multiple venues across the country. Following the completion of the group stages, the tournament will advance into the knockout phase. The excitement will reach its peak with the final scheduled at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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