Best playing 11 of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 ft. Ajinkya Rahane, Rajat Patidar
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 culminated on December 15 in Bengaluru with an entertaining final between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh. Shreyas Iyer-led Mumbai defeated Rajat Patidar's MP to become the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 champions.
Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Baroda, Saurashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chandigarh, Mumbai and Andhra were the top 10 teams of the tournament. Thanks to BCCI's strict rules, several capped Indian cricketers participated in the competition, allowing homegrown talent a platform to showcase their skills.
Now that the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 is over, here's a look at the best playing XI of the tournament.
Openers - Ajinkya Rahane and Sakibul Gani
Mumbai veteran Ajinkya Rahane will open in this team with Bihar skipper Sakibul Gani. Rahane proved to be a game-changer for Mumbai this season, scoring a tournament-high 469 runs in eight innings at a fantastic strike rate of 164.56.
Rahane averaged 58.62 while registering five half-centuries, with his highest score being 98. Meanwhile, Bihar captain Sakibul amassed 353 runs in seven innings at an average of 58.83. His 120* against Mizoram was one of the best knocks of the tournament.
Middle Order - Urvil Patel (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Rajat Patidar, Hardik Pandya and Suryansh Shedge
Gujarat's wicketkeeper Urvil Patel grabbed the headlines in SMAT 2024/25 by setting a new record for the fastest T20 ton by an Indian. Patel hit a century off just 28 balls for Gujarat against Tripura. He followed that up with a 41-ball 115* against Uttarakhand, proving himself as the best wicketkeeper batter of the tournament.
Mumbai skipper Shreyas Iyer will bat in the middle-order along with Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar. Both captains led their respective teams from the front. While Iyer scored 345 runs at a strike rate of 188.52, Patidar aggregated 428 runs, the second-highest in the tournament, at a strike rate of 186.08.
Baroda all-rounder Hardik Pandya will provide some much-needed balance to this team. Pandya was in his destructive mode as he amassed 246 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 193.70. With the ball, he bagged six wickets in five innings.
Mumbai's rising star Suryansh Shedge will play the finisher's role at number seven. Suryansh announced his arrival in the Indian domestic arena with some fine finishes for Mumbai. In all, he scored 131 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 251.92, hitting 13 sixes and seven fours.
Bowlers - Jagjit Singh, Arshad Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kumar Kartikeya
Chandigarh's medium pacer Jagjit Singh was the highest wicket-taker of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 with 18 scalps. Jagjit took one four-wicket haul, one five-wicket haul and also bowled one maiden over in the competition.
Joining him in the pace attack will be Arshad Khan from Madhya Pradesh. The left-arm fast bowler played only three matches, but he bagged seven wickets while conceding just 33 runs. The batters found it challenging to score runs against him as his economy rate was 4.3 runs per over.
Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kumar Kartikeya complete the playing XI. Chahal took 10 wickets in seven matches at an impressive economy rate of 4.76 for Haryana. Meanwhile, Kartikeya was the most successful spinner of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25, having accounted for 17 wickets in 10 matches for Madhya Pradesh.
Best playing 11 of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25
Ajinkya Rahane, Sakibul Gani, Urvil Patel (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Rajat Patidar, Hardik Pandya, Suryansh Shedge, Jagjit Singh, Arshad Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kumar Kartikeya.