Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-2022

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a T20 domestic cricket league played by the 38 teams of the Ranji Trophy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India organize this tournament every year. Last season, it was postponed due to changes in the league’s format. And then, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 took place from November 4th to November 22nd, 2021, instead of 20 October 2021.

The whole season of 2021-22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was played across six cities of India, namely:

• Baroda
• Haryana
• Lucknow
• Delhi
• Vijayawada
• Guwahati

To note, all the knockout matches were played in Delhi. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Vidarbha and Hyderabad were the four winners of the Quarterfinals. These teams then reached the semi-finals and faced each other with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka appearing as the finalists.

Tamil Nadu were the defending champions of the season and they defended their title quite impressively. How they snatched the title from Karnataka at the very last moment was a treat to watch. Here’s more to the details of the Karnataka vs Tamil Nadu SMAT 2021 finale.

Karnataka vs Tamil Nadu final match

The last clash between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka took place at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Tamil Nadu snatched their title from the almost winners, Karnataka. It was a thrilling final where Karnataka while playing first set a target of 151 runs only. Their top-order was all wobbled. However, the game was anchored by their middle-order batsman Abhinav Manohar with his crucial 47*.

Later, Tamil Nadu was almost 2nd placed with 5 runs to win and 1 last ball left. But, the Punjab Kings star Shahrukh Khan made sure to snatch the title from their arch-rival by hitting a crazy sixer.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are the arch-rivals and the two have faced each other in the SMAT finals more than once or twice. Both are successful teams in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Karnataka a single title behind Tamil Nadu. Vijay Shankar is the current captain of the Tamil Nadu team with M. Venkataramana as the head coach.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 results

Tamil Nadu’s M. Shahrukh khan gave a nerve-wracking performance at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021. The match happened on Monday, 22nd November 2021 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Tamil Nadu after winning the toss decided to field first.

And it was not a good start for the Karnataka team, as their top-order was smashed by the Tamil Nadu bowlers. But, the game was maintained by their middle-order, Abhinav Manohar (46), Praveen Dubey (33) and J Suchith (18). And Karnataka managed to score a decent 151 for 7.

Though an easy chase for the strongest team, Tamil Nadu. Karnataka made sure to not let them reach the target. The Tamil Nadu batsmen however were not quickly balled out. But, they were not even hitting promising scores. And the last over kept both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka fans on the edges of their chairs. It was quite a dramatic turn when Shahrukh hit a six, making Tamil Nadu cross the target.

The Best Players of SMAT 2021-2022

Though Tamil Nadu became the winner of the season, many players in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy 2021/22 season showed brilliant individual performance.

Hyderabad’s Tanmay Agarwal is at the top of the list with his highest score of 334 and an average of 55.7. Tanmay was the player with the most number of boundaries and joint-most centuries of the tournament. He was followed by Deepak Hooda (294), Ajinkya Rahane (286), Ashwin Hebbar (279) and Manan Vohra (273).

On the bowling side too, Hyderabad’s left-arm pacer, Chama V Milind is at the top with 18 wickets including two 5-wicket hauls.