Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy preview: Big names add to charm but spotlight remains on future stars

The tournament is likely to grow in intensity with the presence of several star attractions in Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya but the spotlight will remain on future stars as India prepares for the T20 World Cup defence in 2026.

FILE PHOTO: Punjab’s team celebrates after winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR/The Hindu

India recently finished its 2024 T20I calendar with 24 wins out of 26 - a win percentage of 92.31 - including a successful T20 World Cup campaign, making it one of the most successful years for the team in the format.

While the year is headlined with the World Cup triumph, India has made sure it has overcome a transitional phase without many hiccups after the retirement of senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

The team has added several newcomers to the squad — Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Ramandeep Singh — and all have made an immediate impact. India’s premier T20 tournament, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) warrants high commendation for this promising start by the fresh faces.

This year, the tournament is expected to grow in intensity with the presence of several star attractions in Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel. These players will be in action across the country starting Saturday, representing their domestic sides.

While Rajkot, Vishakhapatnam (and Vizianagaram), Hyderabad, Indore, and Mumbai will host the seven-round league stage, the knockout rounds will be held in Bengaluru and Alur.

Defending champion Punjab, led by Abhishek, will begin its title defence against Bengal, a side bolstered by the presence of fast bowler Shami, in Rajkot. In Indore, Hardik will return to his roots in Baroda after eight years; he last played in this tournament in 2016. Baroda, last edition’s runner-up, led by Krunal Pandya, will take on Gujarat in its opening fixture.

Impact Player rule scrapped

While the T20 batting has evolved over the years, the last two years saw the introduction of the Impact Player rule in the domestic circuit, resulting in batters freeing their arms more frequently.

Last year, 1503 sixes were hit in the tournament. Teams recorded an average run rate of 8.09, the highest in the competition’s history.

However, the BCCI has scrapped the rule ahead of the season. It’ll be interesting to see how the teams and batters strategise after two years of playing with a relatively free mind.

IPL Auction

The tournament begins nearly a week after the first five rounds of the Ranji Trophy ended, and only a day before the IPL mega auction, making little to no impact on players improving their chances of fetching lucrative deals.

A chance to shine

An IPL contract or not, SMAT does give a platform for upcoming teams like Assam to display its skill. Last year, Assam entered its first-ever semifinal in the tournament. With Riyan unavailable, players such as Denish Das and Sumit Ghadigaonkar will have a good opportunity to come to the fore and prove that Assam is not a one-season wonder.

Future stars

Overall, this is going to be another season that’ll put the spotlight on future stars, keeping in mind that India only has 23 T20Is left before it begins its T20 World Cup title defence in 2026 at home.