The final round of group fixtures in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) on Thursday saw 17 teams vying for the remaining eight knockout spots. Despite Abhishek Sharma’s heroics, Punjab will not defend their title this season. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami proved his fitness with Bengal, and Ajinkya Rahane’s blistering form for Mumbai has kept him in captaincy talks at Kolkata Knight Riders. Here are the key highlights:
Bhuvneshwar’s Hat-Trick Takes UP to Knockouts
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, captaining Uttar Pradesh, led his team to the pre-quarterfinals with a hat-trick against Jharkhand. His figures of 4-1-6-3 helped UP secure a 10-run win in a rain-affected match. Earlier in the tournament, Bhuvneshwar became the first Indian seamer to reach 300 T20 wickets.
Shami Continues Pain-Free Return
Mohammed Shami took 3 for 26 in Bengal’s dominant win over Rajasthan, showcasing his return to full fitness. Shami has bowled his full quota of overs in every match, picking up eight wickets in seven games. Bengal will now face Chandigarh in the pre-quarterfinals.
Rahane’s 95 Guides Mumbai to Highest SMAT Chase
Mumbai chased down 230 with a thrilling partnership between Ajinkya Rahane (95 off 54) and Shivam Dube (34 off 18). Despite a late collapse, Suryansh Shedge’s explosive 30* off 8 balls sealed a three-wicket win, sending Mumbai to the quarter-finals and knocking Kerala out.
Gujarat Knocked Out on NRR
Despite six wins from seven matches, Gujarat’s net run rate cost them a knockout spot. They finished level on points with Saurashtra and Baroda, but their NRR was 0.335 lower than Saurashtra’s, eliminating them from contention.
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