CSK wicketkeeper blasts epic 31-ball ton in SMAT, Sanju Samson overshadowed
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Urvil Patel, the newly appointed Gujarat captain, smashed records with another century in the opening match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and has auditioned for the CSK management. He now has two of the top 3 fastest hundreds by Indians.
The Indian domestic cricket season has begun with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to be held from the 26th of November. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will mark many of India's greatest players playing alongside several new rising stars of the shortest format of the game.
Gujarat played their first game against the Services in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and managed to win the game by 8 wickets. Harshal Patel and Ravi Bishnoi all played for Gujarat, but the man who caught attention was Chennai Super Kings star Urvil Patel.
Urvil Patel begins SMAT with his second-fastest century
Gujarat named CSK star Urvil Patel as their skipper for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season, and the batter led his team to a one-sided victory with a sheer dominating performance with the bat.
Coming in to open the innings, Urvil Patel earned the spotlight in the previous edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored two breathtaking hundreds and broke the former record of fastest SMAT hundred by Rishabh Pant.
The captain who finished the last season with two exceptional hundreds almost started off from where he had left off. He played a tremendous innings of 119* runs off just 37 balls with 12 fours and 10 sixes to his name.
This innings comprised a strike rate of over 300, while he broke his own record to feature another fastest hundred in SMAT. He is now among the three fastest centurions in T20 cricket for India.
Urvil Patel has three of the fastest hundreds among the top 7 knocks by Indians
T20 cricket is all about insane hitting, and the objective is to create maximum impact with the least amount of time taken. Urvil Patel has just been the answer to this.
With a hundred of 28 balls last season and 31 balls this season, he already features twice in the top 2 and then features for the third time with another century off just 36 balls, which also came in the same tournament last season.
Fastest T20 Hundreds by Indians:
28 - Urvil Patel, 2024
28 - Abhishek Sharma, 2024
31 - Urvil Patel, TODAY
32 - Rishabh Pant, 2018
32 - Suryavanshi, 2025
35 - Rohit, 2017
35 - Suryavanshi, 2025
36 - Urvil Patel, 2024
37 - Yusuf Pathan, 2010
CSK should vouch for Urvil Patel as their opener in IPL 2026
While CSK have not had their faith in Urvil Patel as their next wicket-keeper batting sensation, they traded for Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals and let go of one of their most senior cricketers.
Despite Samson's presence, CSK should vouch for the likes of Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel at the top of the order, while experienced players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson might strengthen their middle-order.
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