MI Star Tracker [SMAT 2022]
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Blurb: From hits to misses, from scaling new highs to some body blows, here’s a rolling report that follows our superstars in the Indian domestic circuit
Semi-finals | Day 10 – November 3 2022
Ramandeep Singh: In a chase that looked dead and buried, Ramandeep Singh – with a stunning counter-attack of 29 off 15 balls comprising of three fours and two sixes – gave Himachal Pradesh a proper scare.
Mayank Markande: On the big semi-final day, Mayank Markande got struck for a four and two sixes off the first three balls of his spell, eventually conceding 19 off his over, and that was it. He didn’t bowl after that.
Anmolpreet Singh: Not his usual fifty, but a steady 25-ball 30 for Anmolpreet Singh today. He got into a good partnership and seemed to have laid a platform to take the steep chase deep, but was cut short by left-arm spin.
******
Day 9 – November 1 2022
Anmolpreet Singh: On most days, a 43-ball 59, studded with nine fours, would have been good enough to grab all the headlines. But Anmolpreet Singh’s superb knock will be hidden under Shubman Gill’s century from the other end. This wasn’t a second fiddle though, with both batsmen matching each other shot for shot, and pummelling Punjab to a massive total of 225.
Ramandeep Singh: With a couple of wickets in the middle overs to put the brakes on the rebuilding Karnataka innings, Ramandeep Singh played his role with the ball to perfection in what ended up being a high-scoring thriller. 2-0-26-2.
Mayank Markande: A rare wicketless outing for Mayank Markande on an absolute flat batting belter at the Eden Gardens. He started off bowling in the powerplay, went for 12 runs, returned in the 12th over to pull things back with a two-run over, and then got taken apart a bit in the 14th. His final figures: 3-0-31-0.
Jaydev Unadkat: The campaign may have ended, but it ended with a fight. A middling performance for Jaydev Unadkat with the ball at both ends of the innings, with 2/14 in the powerplay, and then 2/25 at the death.
******
Day 8 – October 30 2022
Anmolpreet Singh: It almost feels like ages since he got to bat, and in the pre-quarters, coming in at number six with only two overs left, Anmolpreet Singh gave Punjab’s innings the perfect finishing touch. In the nine balls he faced, he smashed a six and two fours to finish with 20 runs.
Ramandeep Singh: Not the best of matches for the all-rounder. Ramandeep Singh wasn’t needed with the ball, and with the bat, lasted only three balls for two runs.
Mayank Markande: And the leggie continued accumulating wickets. Mayank Markande successfully derailed Haryana’s chase that already was struggling to get going with two middle-order wickets in his three-over spell.
Basil Thampi: A slight struggle out there for Basil Thampi, who bowled the difficult overs in the game as Saurashtra’s batters went after him to amass a massive total. 4-0-45-0.
Jaydev Unadkat: Three overs at the start, a wicket off the very first over, and a clinical six-run 19th over to seal the deal just when the Kerala batters were threatening to pull off a stunning chase.
******
Day 7 – October 22 2022
Rahul Buddhi: An opener-cum-finisher job this. After shuffling all around the batting order through the league stage, Rahul Buddhi, the opener today, smashed nine fours and two sixes in a 51-ball knock of 72 to see Hyderabad romp home without losing a single wicket in a chase of 120.
Arjun Tendulkar: An economical outing for the left-arm seamer, who seems to be growing in confidence by the game. Goa’s bowlers had Puducherry’s batsmen on the mat, and Arjun Tendulkar came back late in the innings to pile on the collapse.
Tilak Varma: The leading run-scorer in the SMAT, Tilak Varma, didn’t get a chance to bat today, thanks to Hyderabad’s openers dusting off the small target all by themselves.
Ishan Kishan: He didn’t get a hit out in the middle either, with the Jharkhand management looking to give some of the other batters some time out with the bat, after their bowlers skittled Sikkim out for just 58.
Kumar Kartikeya: In a high-scoring contest at Rajkot that saw nearly 400 rune being scored on the day, Kumar Kartikeya was his side’s most economical bowler, conceding just 27 runs in his four-over spell, but without a wicket to his name.
Aryan Juyal: Not the best of days for Aryan Juyal in the office, succumbing early for just 6 runs.
Anmolpreet Singh: For the fifth game in a row, Anmolpreet Singh has been in the team, but hasn’t been getting a chance to bat. Punjab’s bowlers and Punjab’s openers have just not been giving the poor guy the opportunity!
Ramandeep Singh: He wasn’t needed with the bat either, and with the ball, chipping in with a couple of overs for 16 runs in the middle stages.
Mayank Markande: In an innings where UP’s batsmen just weren’t getting going in the early overs, Mayank Markande added to the pressure built by Punjab’s seamers, picked up the wicket of the in-form UP skipper, and finished with figures of 4-0-31-1.
Akash Madhwal: Another captain’s spell, and Akash Madhwal is seriously stamping his presence in the SMAT. Against a side like Mumbai who scored 174, he’s snuck in a spell of 4-0-23-2, picking up a wicket right at the start, and then right at the death.
******
Day 6 – October 20 2022
Ishan Kishan: He came, he conquered. A proper assault this, 102 runs | 64 balls | 5 fours | 7 sixes. Just Ishan Kishan doing Ishan Kishan things!
Kumar Kartikeya: An impressive day in the office for Kumar Kartikeya, who in a high-scoring game, finished with an economy of under six in his spell. He also got rid of the set Vidarbha skipper.
Anmolpreet Singh: Another day, another game where Anmolpreet Singh didn’t get to bat. It’s the fourth in a row if you’re wondering. Once again, Punjab’s bowlers are to blame. Also, Punjab’s thinktank wanted to give some of the others in the lineup a hit out in the middle.
Mayank Markande: Just when it looked like Puducherry were stitching together a partnership after being rocked early, Mayank Markande triggered a collapse that just didn’t end, and he finished with another stellar spell of 4-0-17-2.
Ramandeep Singh: He didn’t have much to contribute in the game. Coming in as the seventh bowling option, Ramandeep Singh bowled just the one over, conceded just the two runs, and then didn’t need to bat.
Jaydev Unadkat: He’s led his side to the top of the Group D table with yet-another fiery spell at the start of the innings to set the tone for the game. 2/17 in his four overs.
Murugan Ashwin: Coming in as the Impact Player, Murugan Ashwin got only one over to bowl, and picked up a wicket in it. Chandigarh’s batting collapse and the other Tamil Nadu bowlers doing well didn’t leave him with much else to do.
Basil Thampi: With wickets at different stages in the innings and a miserly economy rate, Basil Thampi stamped his authority on this game, derailing the J&K chase while doing it. His figures: 4-0-21-3.
Arjun Tendulkar: A case of solid starts with bat and ball, but unfortunately, Arjun Tendulkar couldn’t build on the momentum. He had a surprise promotion up to number three after an early wicket, and responded with a four and a six. But fell soon after for a 12-ball 15. With the ball as well, he started off with a wicket off the first ball of the innings, but ended the game with figures of 1/29 in his three overs.
Tilak Varma: It feels like a failure when he doesn’t score a fifty. Tilak Varma’s going through one such phase. In a Hyderabad innings that was going nowhere, he was the only batsmen who found rhythm, with a 37-ball 48, studded with three fours and three sixes.
Aryan Juyal: Another bat-through-the-innings and seal-the-chase day for Aryan Juyal here, who sealed the game with an unbeaten 71 off 58 balls.
Rahul Buddhi: After a fighting knock in the previous game, Rahul Buddhi was trapped LBW for a first-ball duck.
Akash Madhwal: In an innings where Mizoram were completely blown away for just 50 runs, Akash Madhwal didn’t have much to do. He opened the attack, bowled two overs for 14 runs, and didn’t have to bring himself back into the attack.
******
Day 5 – October 18 2022
Ishan Kishan: On his return from national duty, Ishan Kishan did the usual – get his team off to a flier. In the 18 balls he faced, he smashed three fours and a six in a total of 24 runs.
Anmolpreet Singh: For the third game in a row, Anmolpreet Singh has to make peace with DNB against his name. Punjab’s bowlers skittled the opposition out for a mere 40 runs!
Tilak Varma: This must feel rare. After four fifties, Tilak Varma finally sees a failure. 13 runs off 10 balls.
Aryan Juyal: He started off rather well, and just when it looked like he’d weathered the storm after UP lost a couple of early wickets, a slightly rash shot brought about curtains to a promising 15-ball 18.
Arjun Tendulkar: In a low-scoring thriller where Goa were defending just 131, Arjun Tendulkar set the tone right at the start, getting rid of the UP skipper in the first over itself. He returned at the death to pick up another wicket, staying tight with his lines, and playing a key role in the side’s victory.
Ramandeep Singh: In a game where Mirozam’s batters were falling like nine pins, Ramandeep Singh came in to bowl his military medium pace right at the end, and cleaned up numbers eight and nine off consecutive balls.
Hrithik Shokeen: Figures of 1/24 in three overs might not sound too fancy, but when the wicket he took was that of Tilak Varma, the person who scored four fifties in a row, it suddenly becomes match-winning!
Rahul Buddhi: He not only struck form, but at one point, even flirted with the chances of a victory. Rahul Buddhi, after being shuffled all around the batting order, returned back to his usual finisher’s role, and scored a 35-ball 47, including three fours and three sixes.
Mayank Markande: 3.1-0-4-4. That’s how good he was. And that’s how unplayable he was for Mizoram’s middle-order, who he just blew away.
Sanjay Yadav: In an innings where most of the Tamil Nadu struggled to get going, Sanjay Yadav’s case was no different. His knock: 21(22).
Akash Madhwal: It was a wicketless day in the office for Akash Madhwal, who finished with figures of 0/33 in his four overs. He started off expensively, but pulled things back superbly in the final over in the innings, conceding just three runs and inflicting a run-out too.
Jaydev Unadkat: An impressive outing for the Saurashtra skipper, with a tight accurate spell of 2/24 in his four overs, and both those wickets were that of the set batsmen who were threatening to pummel HP further towards a bigger total.
Murugan Ashwin: Back in the side after missing the last game, Murugan Ashwin wasted no time in spinning his web. A crucial one at that too, picking up two wickets and conceding just 29 runs in his four overs to play a major role in squeezing the life out of Jharkhand’s chase.
******
Day 4 – 16th October, 2022
Anmolpreet Singh: Yeah, he did not score a fifty yet again, because he didn’t come out to bat! Chasing a pretty small target, Punjab’s top three batters left nothing for Anmolpreet Singh to do.
Tilak Varma: 50, 57, 62, 67. We thought three fifties in a row was a little too rare, but Tilak Varma has four now. And this one’s at a strike-rate of over 145, with seven fours and two sixes. He’s seriously hit a dream purple patch here, and is clearly carrying Hyderabad into the knockouts single-handedly on his shoulders. Go on, try stopping him!
Rahul Buddhi: From number six, to number four, to the opening spot. Rahul Buddhi’s on a promotion spree in the batting order, but sadly, the runs against his name remain elusive. He had a scratchy little stay out there today, facing 25 balls for just 16 runs.
Basil Thampi: An economy rate of under six in a T20 is always gold, and our man struck just that today. He bowled the middle overs, and snuck in a quiet spell: 4-0-22-0.
Sanjay Yadav: Okay, he hasn’t arrived yet. On the back of some monster form in the recent TNPL, Sanjay Yadav doesn’t seem to be able to bring it into the SMAT. He fell for his second duck in four matches, getting trapped LBW off the second ball he faced.
Mayank Markande: Another accurate, aka miserly outing for Mayank Markande, who did what he usually does in the heat of Jaipur, on a wicket that was aiding spin. Four over in the middle stages for 27 runs and a wicket.
Jaydev Unadkat: A wicket at the top, a wicket of the set batsman at the death, at the crease while sealing a tense chase. Jaydev Unadkat’s had the complete game!
Akash Madhwal: He bowled the tough overs, two right at the start, and two right at the close, and did quite decently in both. He did well to keep it full and tight, and could have finished with much better figures had it not been for the last ball six he gave away. Nevertheless, 4-0-30-1, is still good on most days.
Kumar Kartikeya: Coming in as the impact player, Kumar Kartikeya made quite the impact. In a high-scoring thriller where he had to defend against Railways’ batsmen who were on a hitting spree on a flat deck at Rajkot, he picked up two wickets off consecutive deliveries and stalled the run-scoring in the middle overs.
Aryan Juyal: 55* runs | 36 balls | 7 fours | 1 six. In the second case of UP brushing away a target without losing a single wicket in a week, Aryan Juyal was super impressive, playing second fiddle and still ending up with a strike-rate of 152.78.
Arjun Tendulkar: In a game where Goa used eight bowling options and Punjab’s batsmen went on a rampage, Arjun Tendulkar bowled just the two overs for 12 runs at the start, and the match was done before he could be brought back on.
Ramandeep Singh: So Ramandeep Singh was another victim of the Punjab openers leaving nothing much for the rest of the lineup to do, and all he got was seven deliveries to face, where he hit off the winning runs.
******
Day 3 – 14th October 2022
Anmolpreet Singh: The only way to keep Anmolpreet Singh quiet in this form, is to not get him out to bat. And Assam’s bowlers did just that, picking up just one wicket before Punjab chased the paltry total down.
Rahul Buddhi: He’s having a bit of a tough outing there, is Rahul Buddhi. Promoted up to number four today from his usual number six slot, he got doing with a solid boundary early in his innings, but alas, fell soon after for a five-ball eight.
Tilak Varma: You expect him to score runs. It’s a given. He did. If consecutive fifties in T20s is a rarity, our man now has three in a row. 62 runs | 46 balls | 6 fours | 2 sixes. Oh, also, before you think that’s too much, he also had a wicket to his name.
Kumar Kartikeya: Ah, well, his mystery spin wasn’t all that difficult to pick out and solve for the Uttarakhand batsmen today, and he had a pretty forgettable outing, with figures of 0/43.
Akash Madhwal: A stingy captain’s spell to set the tone! At pace, accurate, and an economy of 4.75. Also, a big victory over the favourites Madhya Pradesh. It’d be safe to assume that Akash Madhwal would be pleased.
Mayank Markande: It may have taken him three games to get his full quota of overs, and it is now safe to say, Mayank Markande has arrived in this tournament. He was the sixth bowler to be introduced into the attack, and with a couple of middle-order scalps, derailed Tripura’s innings and finished with 2/24.
Sanjay Yadav: There isn’t something more fun in life than hitting the winning runs, and Sanjay Yadav got to do that today. He didn’t have much to do with the bat though, despite being promoted up to number 3 as his openers had all but brushed the already-paltry target off. But that paltry target was thanks to Sanjay’s bowling effort, where he picked up two wickets in his three overs, giving away just 11 runs.
Basil Thampi: A bit of death-overs pasting spoilt his figures a tad bit, but Basil Thampi started off really well, striking early in his spell to further reduce an already crumbling Haryana, to 41/4. In the end though, his figures don’t look all that pretty, finishing with 1/40 in his four overs.
Aryan Juyal: UP’s bowlers once again left their batsmen with nothing but peanuts to chase, but it wasn’t to be Aryan Juyal’s day, as he fell to spin in the powerplay for a run-a-ball 11.
Jaydev Unadkat: A pretty happy day for Jaydev Unadkat, who led his side to a 97-run thrashing of Nagaland, setting the rhythm with the ball, finding some swing, and picking up an early wicket in a tight, economical spell.
Arjun Tendulkar: Okay, if this day has to belong to someone, it HAS to be Arjun Tendulkar. He picked up a four-fer. Now that itself is a big deal in a T20, but he gave away just ten runs in the process of doing it in his four overs, and that too in a game where Goa conceded 177 runs!
******
Day 2 – 12th October 2022
Anmolpreet Singh: Well, to put it mildly, the man is on fire. He ain’t messing around. He ain’t wasting time. He’s not warming up, he’s burning up the SMS. He’s followed up his 40-ball fifty against Hyderabad in his first game by upping the ante further with a 47-ball 64 against Delhi.
Rahul Buddhi: On a pretty tough wicket, and in what was a low-scoring thriller against Pondicherry, Rahul Buddhi came in to bat in the 17th over, but couldn’t last long, falling for just three runs. But again, these are early days, and all finishers like Buddhi need is a couple of big hits to stick. A pasting is guaranteed.
Tilak Varma: Another morning, another sunrise, another fifty! You aren’t meant to be consistent in T20s, but try telling Tilak Varma that. While Hyderabad’s batting lineup struggled once again collectively against Puducherry, Varma stood out, rescuing his side from an early collapse with a counter-attack that saw him hit four sixes and a boundary in a 41-ball knock of 57.
Ramandeep Singh: In a tall chase against Delhi, Ramandeep Singh couldn’t quite get going at the death. 45 runs were needed off the last four overs when he walked in, but alas, an eight-ball six was all he managed. Just to reiterate, these finishers have the toughest jobs in the world.
Arjun Tendulkar: And trust a Tendulkar to not take long to impress! After a solid debut, Arjun took his stakes up a few levels, with two early wickets to derail the Manipur innings and finish with figures of 2/20. They never really recovered from there.
Hrithik Shokeen: Two over for 17 might not be the most economical stuff you’d see, but Hrithik Shokeen helped turn the game around by cleaning up the dangerous Abhishek Sharma for a 17-ball 33, just when he was threatening to cut loose.
Akash Madhwal: His batsmen didn’t leave him a lot of runs to play with, and despite starting off decently, Assam’s middle-order went after Akash Madhwal at the death as they wiped up the chase. That’s what his day looked like: 3-0-36-1
Jaydev Unadkat: After rain refused to allow Jaydev Unadkat a moment under the run in the first game, he had a pretty middling second game. Captaining his side to victory against Baroda, he was a tad expensive to begin with, before coming back rather well at the death against some big names, one of which was Ambati Rayudu, who he sent back for a first-ball duck. His figures: 4-0-33-1.
Kumar Kartikeya: It obviously wasn’t the most ideal outing for the mystery spinner, who shared the new ball, and then got taken on by Mumbai’s openers at Rajkot’s featherbed of a pitch. Although he did bring in some respite for MP by getting the rampaging Prithvi Shaw to miscue one, it alas, wasn’t enough.
Mayank Markande: There really wasn’t a lot of participation on the part of Mayank Markande this time around either. In a high-scoring thriller, where Delhi’s middle-order went berserk, he got just the one over to bowl, where he conceded 11 runs. Punjab used up eight bowling options, in case you’re wondering why.
Sanjay Yadav: It was a walk in the park for Tamil Nadu, but Sanjay Yadav would want to forget his knock soon. Coming in on the back of a big partnership, and the chase firmly in his side’s bag, he fell for a five-ball duck.
Basil Thampi: In what was a drubbing for the star-studded Karnataka side as they folded out cheaply in the chase, Basil Thampi chipped in with one late wicket in what otherwise was an expensive spell of 28 runs in three overs.
Aryan Juyal: Okay, it’s never nice getting run-out. Even more so when you haven’t converted a start. Aryan Juyal had one such day today, consuming 17 balls for 14 runs.
******
Day 1 - 11th October 2022
Anmolpreet Singh: Measured at first, and explosive by the end. Anmolpreet Singh, batting at number three for Punjab, took six balls to get off the mark against Hyderabad, was batting at under a run a ball until the 18th over, before cutting loose and notching up a half-century to pump his side up to a really strong total.
Rahul Buddhi: Much like Hyderabad’s campaign, Rahul Buddhi is yet to get going. Batting at number six is no mean feat, and that too in a batting order that has struggled to get going. He was one of the three players to get into double digits, with a 21-ball 20, and he stitched together a decent partnership with Tilak Varma, who was going great guns, the kick on never came.
Tilak Varma: So there are giant strides, there are fast-tracked cases, and then there’s what Tilak Varma’s doing. To imagine he was an under-19er seven months ago! And he’s spreading out his wings across formats. After scoring a First Class century and a List A fifty for India A, Varma’s come over to light up the T20 circuit. The southpaw was the only one who clicked in Hyderabad’s innings, scoring a fighting 38-ball fifty in their defeat to Punjab.
Ramandeep Singh: There wasn’t a lot of scope for Ramandeep Singh to impress, given that he got just two balls to face at the end of Punjab’s innings. And he scored three runs in them.
Arjun Tendulkar: A T20 game after nearly 20 months, a switch of states to Goa, and surely you’d be taking your time to hit your rhythm. Nah, not Arjun Tendulkar, who shared the new ball, swung it around, and although he didn’t get wickets, conceded just 20 runs in his three overs against Tripura.
Murugan Ashwin: Wily, economical, and sneaking quietly under the radar. Murugan Ashwin’s been doing this for years, and his outing against Chhattisgarh was just another day in the office. Three overs for just 14 runs, and Ashwin, well, did an Ashwin.
Hrithik Shokeen: First things first, our man has stoked history, becoming the first ever Impact Player in the tournament. Also, then, coming to the cricketing side of things, he was super impressive. Against Manipur, his mystery spin derailed their middle-order, to see them fold out for under 100.
Akash Madhwal: Talk about the skipper setting the tone .. Akash Madhwal, laid the foundation with a wicket with the new ball, and then picked three of them up in the final over of the innings for figures of 4-0-25-4. Thanks to him, Railways were restricted to just 150 on a batting belter at Rajkot.
Kumar Kartikeya: Quietly efficient through the middle overs, Kumar Kartikeya squeezed out the runs against Rajasthan in a spell of 1/20 off his four overs, and successfully helped squeeze the life out of this game.
Mayank Markande: In a match where Hyderabad just folded out in the chase, Mayank Markande didn’t have much to do, and bowled only a couple of overs.
Sanjay Yadav: On another crumbling Lucknow track, gave out serious indications of carrying his side home, but didn’t quite kick on. He picked up a wicket in the one over he bowled, and struck a giant six too with the bat, but then flattered to deceive, much like the entire Tamil Nadu batting lineup.
Basil Thampi: In a rain-curtailed game that was reduced to 11 overs, Basil Thampi opened the attack and snuck in three quiet overs for 18 runs.
Aryan Juyal: Opening the batting, and then batting through the innings to hunt down a small total. Aryan Juyal had a simple life today in a chase of a mere 94 runs that ended on the VJD method, finishing with a 34-ball 43.
