The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) semi-final promises to be a high-octane encounter that transcends mere cricket, bringing together two of India’s most dynamic talents—Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav—in a clash that will surely bring eyeballs to India’s premier domestic T20 tournament. Yes, we will see the Indian T20I captain take on the Mumbai Indians’ skipper! Interestingly, neither of these two will lead in this Baroda vs Mumbai semi-final!
Hardik Pandya – Man of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy so far?
Hardik Pandya enters the match as Baroda’s linchpin, having been in sensational form throughout the tournament. His performances have been nothing short of spectacular, striking at 199 and accumulating 241 runs in just six matches. He averages a whopping 60.25 so far.
Beyond his batting prowess, Pandya has been equally lethal with the ball, claiming five wickets at a decent economy rate of 8.86. His match-winning knocks against Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have been particularly memorable, where he showed why he is the world’s best T20 all-rounder.
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Mumbai’s “SKY” full of stars
Mumbai, led by Shreyas Iyer, brings its own constellation of batting stars. While there are several world-class players, no one is bigger than Suryakumar Yadav. The Indian T20I skipper is a bona fide T20 player, having racked up 7826 runs at a SR of 152.58 in his illustrious T20 career of 302 matches. Suryakumar Yadav’s tournament got off to a slow start due to late arrival, but he made a strong impact in his second match. Against Services, he smashed seven sixes, scoring 70 off 46 balls. However, he struggled in the subsequent matches, failing to replicate his form.
Ajinkya Rahane has been the tournament’s surprise package, amassing 334 runs at a strike rate of 167.84. Prithvi Shaw, looking to prove his worth after being overlooked by IPL franchises. He, however, made a strong statement in the quarterfinal clash. Suryansh Shedge has gained huge traction with his cameos. Playing in his first season, the fast-bowling all-rounder has scored runs at an average of 29, and picked up 5 wickets as well. Shedge’s last two matches have been quite memorable, where he scored 30 vs Andhra, and then followed it up with 36 and two wickets vs Vidarbha.
The subplot of sibling rivalry adds spice to the encounter, with Krunal Pandya captaining Baroda and facing off against Shreyas Iyer’s Mumbai side. While Baroda might lack the star power of Mumbai, they compensate with exciting young talents like Bhanu Pania and Shivalik Sharma, who have shown remarkable strike rates and promise.
Shreyas Iyer vs Krunal Pandya H2H T20 stats
| Year | Runs | Balls | Outs | 6s | SR | Avg |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | – |
| 2018 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 120 | – |
| 2019 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.7 | – |
| 2020 | 25 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 89.3 | 25 |
| 2021 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75 | – |
| Total | 38 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 90.5 | 38 |
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Suryakumar Yadav vs Hardik Pandya, Krunal vs Iyer—feast awaits for fans in Baroda-Mumbai SMAT semi-final
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