Mumbai yet again became the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy champions after their stunning five-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh in the SMAT 2024 final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on December 15.
Mumbai seal second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title with win over MP
Mumbai restricted Madhya Pradesh to 174/8 in their 20 overs after electing to bowl first. Captain Rajat Patidar led from the front and rallied MP to a strong total with his spellbinding 40-ball 81. In reply, Mumbai chased down the target in 17.5 overs, after Suryakumar Yadav (48 off 35) and Suryansh Shedge's (36 off 15) batting exploits. Notably, this is Mumbai's second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title, having previously won the tournament in 2022 against Himachal Pradesh.
Mumbai made an early breakthrough, dismissing Madhya Pradesh openers Arpit Gaud (3) and Harsh Gawli (2) within the first two overs.
Subhranshu Senapati (23 off 17) steadied Madhya Pradesh's innings briefly guiding them to 38/2 in the powerplay. However, his dismissal, followed by Venkatesh Iyer's (17) departure left Madhya Pradesh struggling at 86/5.
Rajat Patidar's spellbinding knock goes in vain
Captain Rajat Patidar then took charge, playing a crucial innings to revive Madhya Pradesh's hopes. He reached his fifth fifty of the tournament in just 28 balls, showcasing his aggressive batting style. In the final two overs, Patidar unleashed a barrage of sixes and fours, scoring 81 runs off 40 balls. His blistering knock propelled Madhya Pradesh to a respectable total of 174/8. Notably, Patidar concluded the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer, amassing 428 runs at an impressive average of over 61 and a strike rate of 186.08, just behind Ajinkya Rahane.
Mumbai recover from early jolts
Mumbai's chase started with intent, but the early dismissals of Prithvi Shaw (10) and Shreyas Iyer (16) left them at 50/2 in the powerplay. Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane (37) then stitched a 52-run partnership to stabilise their innings and rally the score to 89/2 at the halfway stage. However, Rahane's dismissal in the 12th over, followed by the departures of Shivam Dube (9) in the 14th and Suryakumar Yadav in the 15th, put Mumbai on the back foot.
With 45 runs required in the final five overs, Suryansh Shedge and Atharva Ankolekar (16) launched a blistering assault. They plundered 17 runs off Kumar Kartikeya's over and 16 runs off Venkatesh Iyer's over, reducing the target to 12 runs from 18 balls. Suryansh Shedge hit a boundary and a six, followed by a single to level the scores. Atharva Ankolekar then sealed the deal with a powerful six over the bowler's head.
