The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 had all the right ingredients for young, emerging players to emerge in the spotlight on one hand and experienced campaigners to gain momentum and form on the other. In a thrilling final between Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai, the latter chased down a total of 174 runs to win the prestigious title. This was the second time Mumbai won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
MI Players shine in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
With the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) around the corner, the excitement for the upcoming season has been building-up. One of the most successful teams in the IPL is Mumbai Indians who have held the coveted title five times. With the blue army waiting for the team to play thrilling cricket once again, some Mumbai Indians players had their fair share of success in SMAT 2024.
5 Mumbai Indians players who impressed fans and analysts alike in the SMAT 2024
The captain of the Mumbai Indians team had a convincing season in the SMAT 2024. Pandya played a total of 7 matches and scored 246 runs for his domestic team, Baroda. The MI skipper scored runs with an impeccable strike rate of 193.70. Some of the memorable innings that came out of Pandya’s bat in SMAT 2024 was an unbeaten 74 runs knock against Gujarat and 69 against Tamil Nadu. In a blistering attack against Tripura, Pandya scored 47 runs off 23 balls with an emphatic 28 runs in a single over.
Varma has been a pillar of strength for Hyderabad team in SMAT 2024. The middle-order batter for Mumbai Indians scored a total of 327 runs in 7 innings for his domestic team with an average of 65.40. Varma also set the record books straight with a remarkable knock of 151 runs against Meghalaya. This was the highest individual score by an Indian batter in T20 format. Additionally, Varma also scored three consecutive T20 centuries, becoming the first player to do so. He scored 107* at Centurion and 120* at Johannesburg playing against South Africa before the memorable 151 against Meghalaya in SMAT 2024.
Time and again, Yadav had proved his prowess playing for the country and his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians. However, this time with his domestic team Mumbai, he put up an exemplary display in SMAT 2024. SKY’s experience and versatility with the bat was on display particularly against Madhya Pradesh in the finals of the tournament where he scored 48 runs off 35 balls. The breath-taking innings was star-studded with 4 boundaries and 3 sixes. With this knock, Yadav had announced his form before the commencement of the IPL season.
Also Read: Hardik Pandya explains why Mumbai Indians will miss Ishan Kishan in IPL 2025
Sharma may have not played as many matches in the SMAT 2024, but his short stint in the prestigious tournament worked wonders for the railway side and raised the hopes up of Mumbai Indians fans from the leg spinner in the coming season of the IPL. Sharma’s spin balling peak in the SMAT can be seen when Railways was up against Chandigarh in which Sharma took 3 wickets in his 4-over spell at the cost of just 22 runs. This performance from Sharma proved just how lethal the leg-spinner can be for his IPL franchise.
- Raj Angad Bawa (Chhatisgarh)
Originally from Himachal Pradesh, Bawa represented Chhattisgarh in the SMAT 2024. The young all-rounder gave some emphatic performances with the bat and ball for his team in the tournament raising the hopes of the MI fans. Bawa scored 61 runs off 36 balls against Puducherry, and a tumultuous 30 off 18 balls against Vidarbha. With the ball, Bawa was just equally impressive, taking 2/27 in his 4 overs aga9inst Bengal. If his impressive performance continues for his franchise, MI fans can count on the fact that they have got their hands on a future IPL star.