Too engrossed in the World Cup to follow our superstars lighting up the domestic scene? Don’t worry, we have got you covered. Here’s a rolling report that follows everything our MI players are up to in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023. Munch on..

Day 11, November 6, 2023

Nehal Wadhera: The winning mentality in our ‘Prince of Ludhiana’ never settles, and that was displayed in his blitzkrieg knock of 61 runs in JUST 27 balls. With six boundary fours and four maximums at a strike rate of 225.92, Wadhera had no mercy on the Baroda bowlers.

Ramandeep Singh: Being one of the key contributors in Punjab’s run-in to the SMAT 2023 final, Raman paaji made sure he left a mark of brilliance in the summit clash. His caught dismissal of Vishnu Solanki (25) off Harpreet Brar at long-off all but sealed Punjab’s maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy crown.

Day 10, November 4, 2023

Nehal Wadhera: Match-winner yet again! Coming in to bat when Punjab needed 27 runs to complete a 184-run chase, Wadhera crafted a monumental 10-ball 13 - which included him taking the winning single run to book tickets for his team to play their fifth SMAT final and first since 2014/15.

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Day 9, November 2, 2023

Nehal Wadhera: The ‘Prince of Ludhiana’ catapulted Punjab to a comfortable run-chase over Uttar Pradesh with his 39-ball 52. Wadhera’s innings - packaged with four fours and two sixes - set the tone for his team to ease into the next round with a five-wicket triumph.

Ramandeep Singh: Raman paaji was happy to play a solid sidekick to compatriot and MI team-mate Nehal Wadhera with his unbeaten 22 from 13 balls. The all-rounder operated with a strike rate of 169.23, giving a glimpse of what to expect in the coming games.

Shams Mulani: A short cameo with the bat (8 runs in 11 balls) and a wicket (1/30 in four overs) wasn’t enough for Shams to turn the tide for Mumbai to keep their SMAT title challenge alive against Baroda.

Vishnu Vinod: A confident SMAT campaign for Agent Vinod came to a standstill after Kerala fell to a six-wicket defeat to Assam. Vishnu Vinod, who scored 17 off the 12 deliveries he faced - finished the 2023 season as Kerala’s highest run-getter with 363 runs in eight innings.

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Day 8, October 31, 2023

Piyush Chawla: A quickfire eight-ball 13 at the death to lift Gujarat to a fighting total, and then a miserly spell of 4-0-19-0 to try his best to tie down the UP batters in their chase of 127 - Piyush Chawla, in the pre-quarter final, gave it his all. Alas, it wasn't to be. 

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Day 7, October 27, 2023

Ramandeep Singh - Raman paaji was too fast and too furious for the Arunachal Pradesh bowlers. He skyrocketed Punjab’s run chase of 117 to a successful completion inside 8.4 overs with his unbeaten 12-ball 42 - packaged with two fours and five eccentric maximums.

Arjun Tendulkar - The young Goa all-rounder ticked all the boxes - score runs with the bat and take wickets - against Saurashtra. Arjun first showcased his batting prowess with 47 runs off 36 balls and would return to bowl three overs to register figures of 1/34.

Tilak Varma - TV’s contribution with the bat (11 runs in 13 deliveries) and ball (1/18 in 2 overs) was perhaps minimal. Still, it fit perfectly in the puzzle of Hyderabad’s five-wicket triumph over Haryana.

Shams Mulani - A confident spell with a wicket, just a Shams thing. The Mumbai spin wizard bowled four overs and returned with figures of 1/21 as he took on the batting attack of Mizoram.

Vishnu Vinod - The Kerala star had a decent outing against Assam, taking two catches [Sibsankar Roy (16 runs) and Bishal Roy (2) after he managed five runs in nine balls.

Arshad Khan - Coming on as an impact player, Arshad Khan notched five runs off the two deliveries he faced head-on by the Uttar Pradesh bowlers and stuck till the end to see off Madhya Pradesh’s four-wicket win against their neighbours.

Akash Madhwal - The Uttarakhand skipper had a short and sweet outing with the ball against Puducherry - bowling one over and conceding just eight runs. His troops did the rest as he masterfully orchestrated bowling changes to restrict the opposition to just 132, something his batters chased down with nine wickets and 23 balls to spare

Sandeep Warrier - Warrier really didn't have much to do today (0/8 in one over), but a victory papers over everything as Tamil Nadu cruised past Nagaland easily.

Kumar Kartikeya - KK was a bit expensive in his two-over spell against Uttar Pradesh, conceding 22 runs without making a breakthrough with the ball.

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Day 6, October 25, 2023

Nehal Wadhera - The impending arrival of the ‘Prince of Ludhiana’ finally came today in Punjab vs Goa. The southpaw, batting at number five, accelerated Punjab’s innings with his 28-ball 46 to set the tone for a team score of 169/9 in 20 overs. The result of his effort? A Punjab WIN.

Kumar Kartikeya - The Madhya Pradesh spin wizard was a menace for Tamil Nadu’s batting line-up, with him grabbing three wickets for 34 runs and bowled 10 dot balls in his four-over spell. Needless to say, KK and the ball are a combination that makes MP a formidable opponent in SMAT 2023.

Vishnu Vinod - Agent Vinod was omnipresent in Kerala’s batting onslaught against Odisha. The top-order batter struck three fours and a six in his patient innings of 35 runs in 33 balls, at a strike rate of 106.06. Another vital contribution with the bat and another victory in the bank for Vishnu and his table-topping Kerala team.

Shams Mulani - Despite Mumbai’s loss to Hyderabad, Shams continues his all-round show. With Mumbai opting to field first, he bowled four overs and maintained an economy of 7.25 while grabbing a 2/29 in the process. Later, he played a small cameo with the bat - 17 runs in 23 deliveries.

Hrithik Shokeen - An impact player for the second game in the running, and the young spinner didn’t disappoint for Delhi. After conceding 13 runs in his opening over, Shokeen got rid of V K Saha off the first ball of his second over to draw curtains on Tripura’s innings and seal an 86-run triumph for Delhi.

Tilak Varma - TV turned his day around confidently, from giving away his wicket cheaply (6 runs off 8 balls) to MI team-mate Shams Mulani to returning the favour to Mumbai with a catch of Yashasvi Jaiswal (16 runs off 4 balls) and a wicket (Sarfaraz Khan - LBW) to ensure his team bounce back from their recent loss to Baroda.

Arjun Tendulkar - Arjun stood in the way of MI team-mate Nehal Wadhera’s half-century as the left-armer broke through the Punjab star’s defence and trapped him for an LBW dismissal. Tendulkar’s spell would read with figures of 1/31 in three overs.

Akash Madhwal - The ‘Uttarakhand Express’ made early inroads with the ball as he dismissed Rajasthan opener Abhijeet Tomar (7). But going forward, Madhwal would endure a difficult evening as he conceded 43 runs inside his 3.2 overs.

Piyush Chawla - Despite not claiming a wicket in his spell (0/40 in three overs), Piyush made an important contribution on the field as he claimed the catch dismissal of a free-scoring Upendra Yadav (64) off Arzan Nagwaswalla. PC’s Gujarat team would end the day with a big smile as they pulled off an eight-wicket triumph over Railways.

Sandeep Warrier - The 'Warrior' had an unusually quiet day on the field, as he bowled three overs against Madhya Pradesh and would concede 34 runs. 

Ramandeep Singh - Raman paaji had the last laugh in Punjab’s matchup against Goa. While he was stopped short of making a possible impact with the bat, Ramandeep ensured he would have a match-winning moment for himself as he combined with Siddharth Kaul to claim the last wicket of the game and bowl out Goa for 113 in their run-chase of 170.

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Day 5 - October 23, 2023

Tilak Varma - A knock that could break TV sets easily. Tilak smacked 16 fours and four sixes in his 69-ball carnage of 121 runs, setting the tone for Hyderabad to a score of 186/6. But luck wasn’t on his side as Baroda would chase 187 and give Tilak Varma his first defeat as captain in SMAT 2023.

Vishnu Vinod - Give him a bat, and rest assured, Agent Vinod will deliver runs safely. The wicket-keeper-batter crossed the 300-run mark in SMAT 2023 following a match-defining 79 runs off 43 balls against Sikkim, which included a vital partnership alongside Rohan Kunnummal (101*) in the first innings.

Arjun Tendulkar - Arjun went level with team-mate Lakshay Garg (9 wickets) for most wickets in SMAT 2023. The young all-rounder first registered 2/50 in his four overs and would later contribute with the bat - 17 runs in seven balls - in Goa’s successful run chase of 200 against Railways.

Hrithik Shokeen - What a way to announce yourself as an impact player. Shokeen bowled just one over and returned with two wickets at the cost of five runs — which proved to be a masterstroke decision by Delhi skipper Yash Dhull.

Shams Mulani - Need an economical spell and wickets? Dial Shams Mulani. The Mumbai spin wizard’s only wicket (1/22) of the game against Chhatisgarh was crucial, as he dismissed Harpreet Singh (32) to not only break a budding second-wicket partnership but also open the doors to a middle-order collapse of the opponents. In the end, Mumbai would chase 144 with a score of 146/3 in 15.1 overs.

Piyush Chawla - Professor Chawla found himself unlucky with the ball today, as he bowled two overs and conceded 28 runs without claiming a wicket against Punjab.

Nehal Wadhera - The southpaw was given a few minutes of game time in the Punjab vs Gujarat game, and he got off the mark with a run off the only ball he faced in PUN’s first innings of 233/5.

Ramandeep Singh - A tale of two halves for Raman paaji. While Gujarat’s Arzan Nagwaswalla dismissed him for 0 on his first ball, Ramandeep Singh overcame the disappointment with a caught dismissal of Axar Patel (52) - one of the potential match-turning points that aided Punjab in their run-in to seal a 36-run victory.

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Day 4 - October 21, 2023

Vishnu Vinod - Four boundary fours, two boundary sixes at a strike rate of 182.61; our Kerala star’s ongoing love affair with the SMAT is magical. Agent Vinod’s 23-ball 43 was vital in his team’s match-winning total of 193-4 in 20 overs against Chandigarh.

Shams Mulani - An all-round champion. Shams Mulani was the most impactful player for Mumbai in their 37-run triumph over Jammu & Kashmir. After flexing his ability to punch runs in pockets of space with an 8-ball 17, Shams wreaked havoc on the J&K batting order with his intricate bowling spell (3/18) to get the opponents bundled out for 101.

Kumar Kartikeya - Tripura were at the mercy of a certain KK, who once again gave a specialist lecture on bowling with a cagey spell of 2/10 in his three overs.

Tilak Varma - TV is not only an impressive captain but also a competent chase master, as his 24-ball 40 catapulted Hyderabad to a six-wicket victory over Mizoram. Tilak’s knock - played at a strike rate of 167 - was packaged with two fours and three sixes.

Arjun Tendulkar - The young Tendulkar has been one of the most effective Goan bowlers in SMAT 2023. After conceding 57 runs in his previous outing, the left-arm pacer sharpened his bowling today and gave away only 17 runs (0/17) in his four overs against Arunachal Pradesh.

Piyush Chawla - PC’s spell against Andhra Pradesh didn’t yield a wicket (0/29), but it was crucial in Gujarat keeping the leash around the Andhra batters and getting them out for 165 in 19.2 overs. Chawla’s team, in turn, chased the target (166) in 17.4 overs and eight wickets in safe custody.

Nehal Wadhera - The ‘Prince of Ludhiana’ got his first taste of action in SMAT 2023. However, Manipur’s Kishan Singha would cut his time short in the eighth over, having managed just two runs in three balls.

Ramandeep Singh - In a low-scoring encounter between Punjab and Manipur, Raman paaji had a small window to shine as he registered a caught dismissal (K Priyojit Singh off Mayank Markande). He didn’t have an opportunity to bat as his team-mates closed the 94-run chase inside 9.2 overs.

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Day 3 - October 19, 2023

Tilak Varma - After a run of solid performances, Tilak Varma hit a small speed breaker against Chattisgarh. Despite his returns of 0/14 in 2 overs and a 13-ball 11, TV led Hyderabad to their third straight win of the season.

Shams Mulani - Shams contributed on all fronts, be it bat - 17 (12) - or ball - 2/27 in 4 Overs - to ensure his positive start to SMAT 2023 and play a vital role in Mumbai’s three-run triumph over Baroda.

Vishnu Vinod - Agent Vinod’s steadfast rise as Kerala’s go-to man in SMAT 2023 continues. He initially contributed with the caught dismissal of Bihar skipper Babul Kumar (1) before stitching important partnerships with Rohan Kunnummal (36) and Abdul Basith (39*) to help his side chase 112 in 13 overs.

Arjun Tendulkar - Although slightly expensive, Arjun finished as one of the top MI bowlers of the day with his spell of 2/57 in 4 overs against Gujarat. However, his effort fell short of leading Goa to victory as his side slumped to a 16-run defeat.

Ramandeep Singh - With Punjab on course for a massive total, Raman paaji entered and made the Railways bowlers dance to his tunes with a cameo of 22 runs off just seven balls. This knock was packed with three gigantic SIXES.

Kumar Kartikeya - Despite his Madhya Pradesh team ending on the opposite side of the shore, KK showed why he is a bowler to watch out for in the upcoming games of SMAT 2023. Four overs, 16 runs conceded and one wicket when his team is defending 77 runs - this speaks volumes.

Akash Madhwal - The day didn’t go quite well for the Uttarakhand skipper, as he recorded figures of 0/39 in his four overs and saw his team being defeated in a Super Over against Jharkhand.

Sandeep Warrier - The ‘Warrior’ would stand tall with a smile at the end of Tamil Nadu’s eight-wicket victory over Tripura, having bowled the most economical spell of the day (0/10 in three overs).

Piyush Chawla - In the Goa vs Gujarat game, PC had the last laugh as his spell of 1/38 in 4 overs - which included some wrong uns and tight unplayable deliveries - aided Gujarat in defending their total of 216 by restricting Goa to 201/6 in 20 overs.

Arshad Khan - Arshad bowled two overs in the Madhya Pradesh vs Karnataka matchup and returned with fair figures (0/15) despite not finding a wicket.

*****

Day 2 - October 17, 2023

Vishnu Vinod - ‘Agent Vinod’ was Kerala’s SAVIOR with the bat as his 62-ball 109, packaged with 15 boundary fours and four sixes, unsettled the Services’ bowling attack. His double-figure score elevated Kerala from 2/1 to 189/3 in 20 overs. As a bonus, his teammates gifted him a narrow one-run victory as they restricted the opponents to 188/5 in 20 overs.

Tilak Varma - Tilak’s Tour de Force continues. The Hyderabad captain was yet again instrumental in his team’s eight-wicket triumph over Jammu and Kashmir. First, TV bowled just one over in the fixture that yielded 11 runs, and later on, he padded up and smacked an unbeaten 58 off 43 balls to help HYD chase 160 with nine balls to spare.

Shams Mulani - By far the most economical bowler of the day, Shams proved to be a worthy menace for the Meghalaya batting order as he registered two wickets at the cost of just six runs inside his four-over spell.

Akash Madhwal - The ‘Uttarakhand Express’ had a big smile today. Why? Wickets (2/20 in 2 overs) and a 23-run victory against Maharashtra. The intervention of rain worked in his team’s favour as they walked away with the bragging rights courtesy of the VJD method.

Sandeep Warrier - The ‘Warrior’ was last seen in action in the 2023 Tamil Nadu Premier League, and on his first game on the pitch since then, the seasoned pacer showed he hasn’t slowed down with his wicket-taking ability. He opened the floodgates of Tamil Nadu’s fightback against Uttar Pradesh with the wicket of Abhishek Goswami, and ended the game as a winner and a haul of 1/11 in three overs.

Piyush Chawla - Professor PC’s lessons with the ball were a little too much to comprehend for the Saurashtra batters. Chawla bowled four overs and grabbed two wickets for 24 runs while maintaining an economy of 6.00. CLASS.

Arjun Tendulkar - The young pacer was Goa’s chief weapon of destruction as he applied the brakes at the intervals when Manipur looked to attract runs - Nitesh Sedai (2.6 overs) and Johnson Singh (18.4 overs). In all, Arjun recorded 2/27 in his three overs as his team restricted MNP to 122/9 and chased it down in 16.2 overs.

Kumar Kartikeya - KK opened his SMAT 2023 account with a spell of 2/13, but his double-wicket over (Anuj Rawat - 6.3 overs - and Yash Dhull - 6.5 overs) fell short of inspiring Madhya Pradesh to derail Delhi’s run chase of 116.

Ramandeep Singh - Raman paaji may have made minor contributions (8 runs off six balls and 0/9 in one over). Yet, it was vital in Punjab earning their first win of SMAT 2023 with a 105-run triumph over Andhra Pradesh.

Arshad Khan - Arshad was one of the few MI stars, besides Ramandeep and Tilak, to have a go with the bat and ball in an SMAT game today. The MP all-rounder, in hindsight, put on a fair display as he registered 12 runs off 10 balls and 0/16 in 1.2 overs against Delhi.

*****

Day 1 - October 16, 2023

Tilak Varma - A high-flying 2023 continues for young Tilak. T20I debut, ODI debut, Asian Games Gold medallist and now captain of Hyderabad in SMAT 2023. And the cherry on top of this cake would be that TV WON his maiden game as a skipper. First, he bowled an economical spell (0/9) and followed it with an unbeaten 41 to engineer HYD to a nine-wicket victory over Meghalaya.

Shams Mulani - In a rain-affected encounter in Jaipur, Shams stayed true to his promise of keeping things short and sweet with the ball. He recorded figures of 0/27 in his four overs against Haryana and oversaw his team - led by the influential Ajinkya Rahane chase 148 inside 15.5 overs.

Arjun Tendulkar - Despite being two months away from cricket action, Arjun ensured his wicket-taking ability didn’t take a dip. He's got it all: swing, pace, and fine bowling lengths, resulting in a haul of 3/46 vs Andhra. Indeed, it was a match-winning display.

Akash Madhwal - The ‘Uttarakhand Express’ didn’t quite get the start he'd have wanted going into SMAT 2023. The skipper looked a tad off-colour against Vidarbha, conceding 43 runs inside his 2.2 overs.

Piyush Chawla - PC and wickets - a match made in heaven. The seasoned spinner began his fifth SMAT campaign with Gujarat with a clean dismissal of Techi Neri (10). In turn, it would be the sole wicket of his spell (1/32) in the six-wicket triumph over Arunachal Pradesh.

Ramandeep Singh - With Punjab struggling at 121/7, Ramandeep Singh entered the field and tried to inject confidence with his three boundary fours and two sixes. But an unfortunate run out saw Raman paaji exit at 33, and Punjab fell short by 37 runs vs Saurashtra.

Vishnu Vinod - A composed 44 off 27 balls from Vishnu Vinod catapulted Kerala’s game-defining total of 163/8 against Himachal in the first innings. Striking at 162.96, Vishnu lifted his side's batting with five fours and two sixes before falling victim to a top delivery from Mayank Dagar. Besides his batting, VV played an essential part on the field with his catch to dismiss Prashant Tomar just as his opponents approached a revival in the 164-run chase.