BCCI shuffles SMAT knockouts venue, Indore no longer hosts crucial matches of the tournament

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to shift the venues of the knockouts of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). The knockout matches, which were scheduled to be played in Indore, have shifted to Pune.

Why BCCI shifted the venue for SMAT knockouts

HT reported that this decision of the Indian Cricket Board is purely logistical, and this was confirmed by the board secretary, Devajit Saikia. The report further added that the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) had previously communicated to the top body about their inability to host the tournament.

"Yes, we have decided to shift the knockouts from Indore to Pune," Saikia confirmed as quoted by HT.

SMAT final and knockouts schedule

The knockouts of SMAT are scheduled to start on December 12, and the final will take place in December 18. Currently, the group stage of the tournament is underway across four centres: Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Lucknow.

India's domestic white ball tournament started on November 26, and the tournament is giving ample opportunities to the Indian players to showcase their talent ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for 2026, which will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

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Hardik Pandya featured for Baroda in SMAT

Recently, India fast bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya featured for Baroda in the SMAT to prove his fitness after a long injury lay-off. After recovering from his injury that he sustained in the Asia Cup game against Sri Lanka. The Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper made a strong comeback, smashing 77 runs off 42 balls that helped Baroda chase down more than 220 runs.

SMAT rankings

Mumbai-led by Shardul Thakur, are currently the table topper of Group A. Andhra sits second with three wins and 12 points. Jharkhand and Rajasthan are the only other unbeaten sides, with Jharkhand leading Group D and Rajasthan placed second on an inferior net run rate. Hyderabad and Gujarat are the table toppers of Groups B and C, respectively. The top two teams from each group qualify for the Super League stage.