For the first-time ever, we are having the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) amidst the Ranji Trophy. Well, BCCI’s new domestic schedule will the the conclusion of SMAT and even the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) before the second leg of Ranji Trophy. The first round of the SMAT is officially in the history books! India’s local T20 talents – from the Hardik Pandya to Shreyas Iyer – all participated. Moreover, Mohammed Shami, touted to get added to the Indian BGT squad, announced his arrival in the format. From the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Shami, Krunal Pandya, Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer, all will go under the hammer tomorrow at the IPL 2025 Auction and gave a great account for themselves in their “last” audition.
Apart from this, Hardik Pandya ended the last round of games with his blistering knock of 74 off 35. His arrival in SMAT is a confidence booster not just for his Baroda teammates but for the entire tournament. He played under his brother’s captaincy and single-handedly beat Axar Patel’s Gujarat.
Shreyas Iyer goes ballistic
Shreyas Iyer’s masterful 130* off just 57 balls in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy showcased why he could be one of the hottest properties at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Despite being dropped three times, his innings was a perfect display of modern T20 batting, featuring 11 fours and 10 sixes against both pace and spin.
What stands out is his ability to convert good length deliveries into sixes, a skill particularly valuable in the IPL where bowlers often default to ‘safe’ lengths. His strike rate of 228.07 in this innings, coupled with his experience as a former IPL captain with KKR and DC, could drive his price significantly higher in the auction.
The timing of this performance is crucial – coming in a domestic T20 tournament just months before the mega auction. His aggressive batting display, combined with his proven leadership qualities and experience with the Indian national team, could easily push his price into the ₹16-20 crore range.
Super hot Tilak Varma “record-breaking”
In a historic achievement, 22-year-old Tilak Varma has become the first cricketer globally to score three consecutive T20 centuries. His remarkable feat culminated with a stunning 151 off 67 balls in Hyderabad’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener against Meghalaya in Rajkot, following his recent South African exploits where he scored 107* in Centurion and 120* in Johannesburg.
His latest innings, which came at No. 3, was delightful, featuring 14 fours and 10 sixes at a blistering strike rate of 225.37. The young star was particularly severe on medium pacer Dippu Sangma, scoring 50 runs off just 18 balls. His explosive batting helped Hyderabad post their highest-ever SMAT score of 248/4, the fifth-highest in tournament history.
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This record-breaking performance also sees Tilak become the first Indian male cricketer to score 150+ in a T20 match. It’s worth noting that Mumbai Indians (MI) had already retained him ahead of IPL 2025, a decision that now looks even more prescient.
Mohammed Shami returns to T20 cricket
One of the most anticipated players was obviously going to be Mohammed Shami, whose fitness has been tracked especially by the BCCI. The team management wants the Bengal Express to be part of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), where he could wreak havoc. He made his competitive cricket return after 360 days in the Ranji Trophy but now he has made his appearance felt in a T20 game as well, featuring against defending champs Punjab.
Incredibly, Bengal beat Punjab by 4 wickets on the back of a magnificent innings by Shahbaz Ahmed, who clubbed a match-winning 49-ball century. Against the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Markande, Abhishek Sharma and Harpreet Brar, he clubbed an unbeaten hundred and took Bengal over the line. Shami, with the ball, looked okay-ish as he leaked 30 runs off his first two overs. But then, he claimed the big wicket of Nehal Wadhera.
Sanju Samson show takes Kerala to a win
One of the most beloved Indian cricketers, Sanju Samson also captained his state Kerala and continued his rich vein of form. Now a preferred first-choice opener, Samson hammered a sumptuous fifty. Chasing 150, Sanju Samson’s 45-ball 75 set the tone for Kerala against Services. Samson cracked ten fours and three sixes in his innings which was ended by off-spinner Pulkit Narang. With the ball, it was Akhil Scaria, who bagged a superb five-wicket haul.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) Round 1: Brief Scores:
- In Rajkot, Hyderabad beat Meghalaya by 179 runs
- In Indore, Saurashtra beat Sikkim by 54 runs
- In Mumbai, Himachal Pradesh beat Arunachal Pradesh by 8 wkts
- In Rajkot, Madhya Pradesh beat Mizoram by 102 runs
- In Hyderabad, Mumbai beat Goa by 26 runs
- In Hyderabad, Maharashtra beat Nagaland by 6 wkts
- In Visakhapatnam, Chandigarh beat Puducherry by 5 wkts
- In Vizianagaram, Assam beat Railways by 3 wkts
- In Mumbai, Haryana beat Manipur by 8 wkts
- In Indore, Tamil Nadu beat Tripura by 43 runs11:00 AM
- In Rajkot, Rajasthan beat Bihar by 108 runs
- In Indore, Uttarakhand beat Karnataka by 6 runs
- In Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir beat Jharkhand by 25 runs
- In Indore, Baroda beat Gujarat by 5 wickets
- In Hyderabad, Kerala beat Services by 3 wickets
- In Rajkot, Bengal beat Punjab by 4 wickets
- In Vizag, Vidarbha beat Odisha by 33 runs.
- In Mumbai, Delhi beat UP by 48 runs.
