Akshay Karnewar, SMAT 2021
Akshay Karnewar. (Photo: Twitter)
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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.

5 Most Valuable Players Of SMAT 2021
Tamil Nadu won the SMT 2020-21. (Credits: Twitter)

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.

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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.

Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey. Credits: Twitter

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

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