Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 started on 4 November 2021 and will continue till 22nd November. This tournament indicates the return of men's senior domestic cricket in India. It started with 38 teams in 6 different groups. Also, the matches were played in 6 cities - Lucknow, Guwahati, Baroda, Delhi, Haryana, Vijayawada. The top 2 teams from the 5 Elite Groups and also 1 team from the Plate group qualified for the knockout stages. Let's take a look at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 schedule, timings, and venues of the knockout stage.
Tamil Nadu (Group A topper) Bengal (Group B topper) Rajasthan (Group C topper) Gujarat (Group D topper) Hyderabad (Group E topper)
These 5 teams have directly qualified for the quarterfinals.
Firstly, Gujarat (D1) and Hyderabad (E1) will play against each other in quarterfinal 4.
Then, the opponents for Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan will be selected through the pre-quarterfinals.
Lastly, Maharashtra (A2), Vidarbha (Plate topper), Karnataka (B2), Saurashtra (E2), Himachal Pradesh (C2), and Kerala (D2) will start playing the pre-quarters stage on November 16th in Delhi.
"There is nothing as sweet as comeback:" Sayan Ghosh wants to make Ranji Trophy return after white-ball success in 2024-25 season
Sayan Ghosh emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Bengal in both Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. The Bengal pacer now looking for his Ranji Trophy return.
Chakdaha, a very tiny town in the Nadia district of West Bengal, is known to the cricketing world for a very special player. It is Jhulan Goswami, who made Chakdaha famous with fiery spells all around the globe, wearing the Blue jersey of India.
When Jhulan was breaking records in women's cricket, another speedster from Chakdaha dreamt of breaking stumps and records too. Sayan Ghosh, known as Bengal's Malinga, saw ups and downs from the start of his cricketing career. But, like his swinging yorkers, Sayan never swayed away from his targets.
Ghosh last played a Ranji Trophy game way back in 2017. In 6 first-class games, he has two five-wicket hauls. Still, he was never called back to the Ranji Trophy, team until this season. The reason is his incredible comeback into the white ball side for Bengal.
Sayan Ghosh's incredible season in white-ball format
Sayan Ghosh celebrating a wicket in SMAT pre-quarters vs Chandigarh. Image | PTI
Sayan was always called the "White Ball" specialist due to his ability to hit yorkers and variations. However, with bowlers like Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Porel and Akash Deep doing well, he found himself out of the side in the last few seasons. But, his will to keep doing well at the club level, helped him make another comeback to the Bengal side.
This season, Sayan Ghosh was the highest wicket-taker for Bengal in both Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, he returned with 13 wickets from 7 games at an outstanding economy rate of 6.77.
Bengal wins the thriller against Chandigarh and marches forward to the semi finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024.
Former KKR bowler Sayan Ghosh was the star of the show as he picked up 4 wickets and defended 11 runs of the final over that helped Bengal come out on top. pic.twitter.com/ZdOl4soLSt
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the stats were even better as he capped off the season with 15 wickets from 7 games which included a five-wicket haul against Kerala. Post, his outstanding white-ball return, Sayan was included in the Ranji Trophy squad for the final two games of the season.
After his remarkable resurgence in domestic cricket, Sportz Point sat with the 32-year-old pacer to sense his thoughts.
Talking about his return to the Bengal team, Sayan started the conversation by saying, "It is always a pleasure to represent Bengal. And there is nothing as sweet as a comeback when you are down and about to lose. Performing well for the team feels great."
Ex-KKR pacer Sayan Ghosh in action for @Mohun_Bagan
Sayan feels, along with doing well for Mohun Bagan in the club format, the Bengal Pro T20 League has helped him be in the best form possible.
"I must say, performance in BPL gave me confidence," Sayan told Sportz Point.
"I didn’t take too much pressure for the whole season because I knew if I did well, I would play. I had belief in myself. Captain Sudip (Gharami), coaches Laxmi (Ratan Shukla) da and Maco (Shib Shankar Paul) da gave confidence. So, I didn’t take a lot of pressure."
Sayan Ghosh during a club match for Mohun Bagan. Image | Sportz Point
A few seasons back, Sayan had a longer run-up which caused him a few injuries. But, post the 2022 season, he shortened his run-up to avoid such injuries which helped him gain more control. Keeping this in mind, Sportz Point wanted to know if he had done anything special to prepare for this grand comeback.
However, as per Sayan, he just kept doing the basic things over and over to get better at everything. "I do lots of fitness work and spot bowling. It helps me a lot," Sayan added while answering the question.
Regardless of how, for a sportsperson, a comeback is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical battle. Back in 2022, in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point, Sayan shared that "rejections do not deject him."
But, saying that and actually having that mental strength are two different things altogether. For Sayan, it was all about being present and believing in God.
"There comes a time in every sportsman's life when they stop worrying about the outcome, trust in God, and fully immerse themselves in the process. So, that was my thinking just to be in the present and wait for my turn," Sayan expressed.
During tough periods like these, players always get some people clapping and cheering for them. For Sayan, along with his family, there were a few people, who guided and supported him throughout the process.
"Maco da (Shib Shankar Paul) and Kanchan (Maity) da gave me chances in BPL And Laxmi (Ratan Shukla) da helped me and gave me a chance to come back in Bengal Cricket."
"I must say about Akash da, one of my colleagues in my office, who is a very good bowler himself. He supported me in every aspect of my life. I think without his support, I could not have made the come back like that," Sayan stated.
Age? Not a problem
Sayan Ghosh before a club match for Mohun Bagan. Image | Sportz Point
But, in this process of being in and out of the team, Sayan has reached an age where most cricketers start to reach the end of their careers. But, not all.
Cricketers like Scott Boland have proved that, if you can keep putting in the hard work, even as a fast bowler you can debut and play at the highest level even after 30. Sayan believes that too.
"Hope keeps us alive. I don’t think a lot about the outcome. But, when you have a goal to achieve something big in your professional career, you always stay motivated," the 32-year-old shared.
"There is nothing as sweet as a comeback, when you are down and about to lose. If you are thinking about a comeback, you have to keep pushing the boundaries. I have small targets to do well in club cricket and give Mohunbagan trophies. I want to make a strong impact in Bengal Cricket in every format."
Sayan Ghosh bowling in a club match. Image | Sportz Point
Now, after a great white-ball return, Sayan Ghosh wants to don the whites for Bengal again. Amidst all the success around white-ball cricket, his love for red-ball cricket remained the same; like a 10-year-old with a new ball in hand.
"We are playing well in all formats, especially in the Ranji trophy. It was unfortunate for us not to qualify despite playing well in the group stages. The Bihar match and the Kerala match were gone because of the rain and that was the reason (we could not qualify).
"The last time I played a Ranji Trophy game was in 2017. I have played 6 matches and got two five-wicket hauls. However, because of certain team combinations, I haven't played red-ball cricket in a long time now.
"My belief is always there to make a strong comeback in red ball cricket."
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024: Madhya Pradesh beat Delhi to face Mumbai in the final
Captain Rajat Patidar's outstanding knock of 66 off 29 helped Madhya Pradesh beat Delhi in the second semi-final of the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. MP will face Mumbai in the final on Sunday.
Captain Rajat Patidar led Madhya Pradesh to the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final with an impressive 29-ball innings of 66 runs while chasing the target set by Delhi, who were defeated by 7 wickets. Madhya Pradesh has reached the SMAT final after 13 years as they will face 2023 champions Mumbai in the 2024 final in the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 15 December 2024.
Impressive performance by MP bowlers in the first innings
Following the toss win, MP captain Patidar opted to field in and sent Delhi to bat for the first innings today in Bengaluru. Priyansh Arya and Yash Dhull opened for Delhi and gave the batting side a solid start, as they scored 38 runs in the first 5 overs of powerplay. However, in the 6th over, Yash Dhull got dismissed on 11 off 18 balls; and Priyansh went back to the pavilion in the 9th over with 29 runs by his name off 21 balls.
After the openers departed, Madhya Pradesh bowlers took over the driver's seat and put up a show. All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer stormed in to take two wickets in three balls in the 12th over as he sent Delhi captain Ayush Badoni and Himmat Singh back to the dugout. However, Anuj Rawat's scorching knock of 33 off 24 and Mayank Rawat's 21-ball innings of 24 runs pushed Delhi to a decent score of 146/5 in 20 overs.
Rajat Patidar played a captain's knock
Captain Rajat Patidar's storming innings is the definite highlight of Madhya Pradesh's chase; as he scored 66 runs off just 29 balls, studded with 4 boundaries and 6 over-boundaries.
Madhya Pradesh Captain Rajat Patidar put on a masterclass against spin bowling on his way to a blistering 66*(29) against Delhi in the semifinal 👏👏#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank
However, veteran pacer Ishant Sharma startled MP's innings in the first over as he dismissed opener Arpit Gaud on the very first ball. Ishant sent Subhranshu Senapati back to the pavilion in the third over, leaving a trembling Madhya Pradesh with a scoreline of 22/2 in 3 overs.
Harsh Gawali's decent innings of 30 off 18 balls challenged Delhi bowlers and stabilized MP's innings. Following his departure, Patidar pulled off a stunning 66-run innings of just 29 balls to lead MP to the target in just 15.4 overs. Harpreet Singh Bhatia completed the chase with a six, delivering an impressive knock of 46 off 38 balls to power MP to the coveted win.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024: Mumbai vs Baroda match report | Mumbai enter final; Rahane misses century
In the first semi-final match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, Baroda scored 158 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs, in reply Mumbai won the match by scoring 164 runs for four wickets in 17.2 overs.
Mumbai has made it to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 by defeating Baroda by six wickets in the semi-final match played at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Thursday due to the strong innings of Ajinkya Rahane.
Batting first, Baroda scored 158 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs, in reply Mumbai won the match by scoring 164 runs for four wickets in 17.2 overs.
Rahane played an important role in Mumbai's victory, scoring 98 runs in 56 balls with the help of 11 fours and five sixes. He performed brilliantly for the second consecutive match. Earlier, he had also scored a half-century in the quarter-finals and contributed significantly to the team's victory. Rahane was slowly moving towards a century, but he was out on the ball of Abhimanyu Singh and missed out on scoring a century.
Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane came to open for Mumbai. Shaw was out after scoring 8 runs. But the Baroda team proved to be a complete failure in stopping Rahane.
Apart from Rahane, captain Shreyas Iyer scored 46 runs in 30 balls with the help of four fours and three sixes.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy | Mumbai vs Baroda 1st Semifinal Report
In the first semi-final match of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, Mumbai won the toss and decided to bowl first. None of the Baroda batsmen who came to bat first could score 40 runs.
Hardik Pandya was out after scoring only 5 runs. Shashwat Rawat scored 30 runs in 29 balls, captain Krunal Pandya scored 36 runs in 24 balls and Shivalik Sharma scored 36 runs in 24 balls. Baroda could score only 158 runs after losing 7 wickets in 20 overs.
In reply, Mumbai did not have a good start. After the dismissal of Prithvi Shaw, there was a partnership of 88 runs on 56 balls between Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer. Shreyas was out after scoring 46 runs in 30 balls.
After this, there was a partnership of 40 runs in 27 balls between Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav, in which Suryakumar scored only one run.
Mumbai scored 164 runs by losing 4 wickets in 17.2 overs and won the match by 6 wickets and secured their place in the final. The player of the match of this match was Ajinkya Rahane.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 Semi-final fixtures: Baroda to face Mumbai, Delhi against MP
Hardik Pandya's Baroda will face Ajinkya Rahane's Mumbai while Ayush Badoni's Delhi will go against Rajat Patidar's Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 semi-finals.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 semi-finals, Hardik Pandya's Baroda will face Ajinkya Rahane's Mumbai while Ayush Badoni's Delhi will go against Rajat Patidar's Madhya Pradesh to clinch the Premier T20 title of the Indian Domestic circuit.
Hardik and Meriwala powered Baroda to the semi-final in the 1st QF
In the first quarter-final, Hardik and Krunal Pandya's Baroda defeated Mohammed Shamiand Shahbaz Ahmed's Bengal by 41 runs to enter the semis. Baroda scored 172/7 in the first inning, all thanks to Shashwat Rawat's 40 from 26 balls in the opening and a late flourish from Shivalik Sharma (24 from 17) and Vishnu Solanki (16 from 7). Hardik could only score 10 from 11 balls.
Mohammed Shami took wickets but went for 43 in his full quota of 4 overs.
In reply, Bengal were hit by early wickets as Lukman Meriwala struck early for Baroda. Except for Shahbaz Ahmed's 55 from 36 balls and 29 off 18 balls from Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, none contributed that much with the bat for Bengal and they fell short of the target by 41 runs. Hardik Pandya (3/27) and Lukman Meriwala (3/17) were the stars of the show for Baroda.
Anuj Rawat's impressive 73 helped Delhi win against UP
Anuj Rawat played a stunning 33-ball 73 to help Delhi win. Image | PTI
In the second quarter-final, Delhi faced a formidable Uttar Pradesh, led by Bhuvnewshwar Kumar. Delhi scored 193/3 in the first inning and UP were bundled out for 174 in the second inning. Delhi's keeper-batter Anuj Rawat played an unbeaten inning of 73 from 33 balls, which included 7 fours and 5 huge sixes. Bhuvneshwar Kumar went wicketless and went for 34 in his four overs.
UP could not get going in the second inning as Ishant Sharma and Suyash Sharma provided early breakthroughs. Ishant Sharma returned with a bowling figure of 11/1 in his three overs, while Suyash Sharma took 2/36. Prince Yadav was expensive with the ball but took three wickets.
For UP, Priyam Garg scored 54 from 34 balls while Nitish Rana could not score 2 from 3 balls and was dismissed by Delhi captain Ayush Badoni.
Venkatesh Iyer's all-round skill helped MP reach the semi-final after 14 years
Venkatesh Iyer and Rajat Patidar's Madhya Pradesh qualified for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-finals after a gap of 14 years as they chased down Suarasthra's 174-run target with four balls to go.
Chirag Jani's outstanding unbeaten 80 from 45 balls helped Saurashtra reach 173/7 in the first inning. Venkatesh Iyer took 23/2 in his three overs while Avesh Khan went for 51/2 in his full quota of four overs.
In reply, Arpit Gaud gave the perfect start to MP's inning with a 42 from 29 balls while Subhrangsu Senapati (24), and Rajat Patidar (28 from 18) chipped in. But it was the steady inning from Venkatesh Iyer (unbeaten 38 from 33) and pinch-hitting by Harpreet Singh Bhatia (unbeaten 22 from 9 balls) that helped them go over the line with 6 wickets in hands.
Rahane and Shaw's heroic helped Mumbai chase Vidarbha's 222 run-target
In the fourth quarter-final, Mumbai chased down Vidarbha's 222-run target to reach the semi-finals. Atharva Taide's 66 from 41 balls, Wankheded's 51 from 33 and Shubham Dubey's 43 from 19 balls helped Vidarbha 221/6 in the first inning. Shardul Thakur was wicket-less and went for 41 in his 3 overs.
Prithvi Shaw (49 from 26), and Ajinkya Rahane (84 from 45) provided an 83-run opening partnership that laid the foundation for Shivam Dube (37 from 22) and Suryansh Shedge (36 from 12) to finish things off for them. Eventually, they chased down the target with four balls to go with six wickets in hands.
Suryansh Shedge is at it again 🔥
Smashes 4⃣,6⃣,6⃣,6⃣, as Mumbai take 24 off the crucial 17th over!#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Where to watch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 Semi-finals?
Fans can watch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 Semi-finals live on Jio Cinema App and Website for free. Matches will be telecasted on Sports18 Channels as well.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Baroda and MP book place into the semis
In the first semi-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25, MP defeated Saurashtra by 7 wickets, while in the second quarter-final match, Baroda, captained by Krunal Pandya, defeated Bengal by 41 runs.
The teams of Baroda and Madhya Pradesh have reached the semi-finals of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25 on Wednesday.
In the first semi-final, MP defeated Saurashtra by 7 wickets, while in the second quarter-final match, Baroda, captained by Krunal Pandya, defeated Bengal by 41 runs.
All four quarter-final matches were held in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Wednesday. In the first match, MP defeated Saurashtra by 7 wickets.
Batting first, Saurashtra scored 173 runs. In reply, MP won the match by losing 3 wickets with 4 balls remaining. For Madhya Pradesh, Venkatesh Iyer took 2 wickets and also scored 38 runs. Player of the Match Venkatesh ended on 38 not out off 33 deliveries with the bat, after taking 2 for 23 from three overs with the ball. Harpreet, on the other end, batted more aggressively in his nine-ball cameo to finish on 22 not out to seal the game for MP.
Bengal faced Baroda in the second QF
Bengal faced Baroda in the second QF match. Batting first, Baroda scored 172 runs for 7 wickets. From it's side, Shashwat Rawat scored the maximum 40 runs. Captain Krunal Pandya (7) and Hardik Pandya (10) could not do anything special in batting.
While chasing the target of 173 runs set by Baroda, Bengal collapsed for 131 runs in 18 overs. Mohammed Shami took 2 wickets for 43 runs in a spell of 4 overs for his team. Kanishk Seth and Pradipta Pramanik also got two wickets each.
From Bengals' side, Shahbaz Ahmed scored the maximum 55 runs. Ritwik Roy Chowdhury (29) and Abhishek Porel (22) also played good innings, but the rest of the batsmen could not even touch the 10-run mark.
As a result, the entire team was limited to 18 overs. Hardik Pandya, Lukman Meriwala and Atit Sheth took 3 wickets each.
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