5 Most Valuable Players Of SMAT 2021

Tamil Nadu emerged champions of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2021-22 on Monday after piping rivals Karnataka in a thriller final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

Tamil Nadu were in need of 30 runs in the final two overs, it was a brilliant power-hitting show by Shahrukh Khan to help them pull off a spectacular chase.

Shahrukh smashed a six off the final ball when the team required five to win, against Vidyadhar Patil’s bowling. Tamil Nadu were successful in defending their title against Karnataka, who defeated them in the 2019 SMAT final.

There were some spectacular performances by a team like Vidarbha, which punched above their weights to reach the semi-final and lost to Karnataka in a very close contest.

The SMAT 2021-22 also had some great individual performances like Punjab wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh smashing 119 off 61 balls against Goa.

23-year-old bowler Vidarbha pacer Darshan Nalkande claimed 13 wickets in the tournament and bagged four wickets in four balls in the semi-finals against Karnataka.

5 Most Valuable Players Of SMAT 2021

There were some great players that brought a lot of value to the team’s table with their sheer brilliance.

Let us take a look at the five most valuable players from SMAT 2021-22 season that made a big difference for their side.

5) Manish Pandey

The 32-year-old who has been struggling with form in recent years had made the best in SMAT 2021-22, scoring 272 runs from nine games.

Being the leader of Karnataka, he had to set an example before his team players and also displayed sharpness in his fielding.

In the quarter-final match against Bengal, when the opposition needed just one run to win on the final ball, Pandey aimed a pin-point throw at the non-striker’s end to run out Akash Deep and take the game to super over, which Karnataka won eventually.

Also Read: Syed Mushtaq Ali T20: Manish Pandey Named Karnataka’s Captain; Devdutt Padikkal Included In 20-Man Squad

4) Rishi Dhawan

The Himachal Pradesh skipper scalped 14 wickets from six games, with his best figures of 6/23 came against Jammu & Kashmir.

His efforts were not sufficient as his side were knocked out in the pre-quarter-final game to Sanju Samson’s Kerala.

Dhawan’s bowling average in the tournament was 11.14 and he was the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

3) Akshay Karnewar

The 29-year-old left-arm unorthodox spinner was one of the players, who shone with his impressive spells.

One of his breathtaking spells was against Manipur, where he did not concede a single run and claimed a couple of wickets.

He also claimed a hat-trick against Sikkim, the very next day he bowled all his four maiden overs. He ended up taking 13 wickets in the tournament.

Also Read: Akshay Karnewar Becomes First Bowler In T20 History To Bowl Four Maidens In Four Overs

2) Chama V Milind

The Hyderabad pacer was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 18 scalps in seven games.

 

His five for eight against Uttar Pradesh happens to be the second-best spell of the tournament after Rishi Dhawan’s 6/23.

However, Hyderabad were eliminated in the semi-final round by eventual champions Tamil Nadu.

1) Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad carried his astounding IPL 2021 form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and slammed three fifties in trot.

Scores of his first three games read 51, 80 & 81 as he made 259 runs from five innings at an average of 51.80. He wasn’t available to play for Maharashtra in the pre-quarter-final game against Vidarbha as he was selected in India’s T20I series squad.

Also Read: Rahul Dravid Has Influenced My Batting: Ruturaj Gaikwad