Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semifinals: Top 5 players to watch out for – Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has advanced to the semifinal stage with top players headlining on Saturday. Among the top players include Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Vijay Shankar, Tanmay Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan, who have been putting up brilliant performances for their respective state teams. The semifinals of SMAT 2021 will be played on November 20. Follow live updates of SMAT 2021 on InsideSport.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Semifinals: From Manish Pandey to Vijay Shankar, top 5 players to watch out for in semifinals
InsideSport takes a took at five players to watch out for in the semifinals of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
1. Manish Pandey (Karnataka): The Karnataka skipper was the star in the quarterfinal with the bat and in the field. In the group stage, the 31-year-old smashed 84 off 64 balls against Mumbai. Even though he experienced a slump in form, a player of Manish Pandey’s calibre is expected to come good in the semis. So far, he has scored 205 runs in 7 matches and against Vidarbha in the semis, runs from his willow will be crucial.
2. Karun Nair (Karnataka): Karun Nair is yet another top player to headline in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semifinals. The 31-year-old had a great start to the season, smashing 72 off 53 balls against Mumbai in the opening match. While he returned with single-digits in the next two matches, Karun Nair’s 36 off 25 against Baroda and 44 and 55 against Bengal helped Karnataka advance to the semifinals. With star players leaving for national duty, he will have to come good in the semis against Vidarbha.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Semifinals: From Manish Pandey to Vijay Shankar, top 5 players to watch out for in semifinals
3. Tanmay Agarwal (Hyderabad): Tanmay Agarwal has been very consistent with his batting this season. In the group stage, his batting brilliance was on display, smashing four half-centuries, especially his 97* off 59 balls against Uttarakhand. In the quarterfinals against Gujarat, Tanmay put up a decent score of 31 off 21 balls. The top scorer of this season will be the one to watch out for when Hyderabad face Tamil Nadu in the semis.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Semifinals: From Manish Pandey to Vijay Shankar, top 5 players to watch out for in semifinals
4. Vijay Shankar (Tamil Nadu): Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar has played some crucial knocks when needed. In the opening group stage match, Shankar scored 42* off 21 balls against Mumbai. Vijay Shankar bought up his first fifty in SMAT 2021 by scoring 59 off 40 balls against Punjab in the final group match. In the quarterfinals, he scored 33 off 26 balls against Kerala. Vijay Shankar has been a crucial player in the middle-order and will play a major role in the semifinals against Hyderabad.
5. KC Cariappa (Karnataka): KC Cariappa has been one of the key bowlers for Karnataka in SMAT 2021. The 27-year-old KKR spinner has put up some good performances in the group stages and helped Karnataka advance to the semifinals. With 8 wickets in 7 matches, his stats may not tell you the whole story but he has been an impact bowler in Shreyas Gopal’s absence.
