Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021: Top five bowlers to watch out for
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 is set to commence on Thursday (November 4), kickstarting the Indian men's domestic season in the process. While five of them will be Elite Groups, eight teams will form part of the Plate Group as the Round Robin stage will be followed by the knockouts.
It is often said that batters win you matches but bowlers win you tournaments in cricket. This is a statement applies that applies well to the T20 format in particular. This can be seen in the manner in which Tamil Nadu's collective bowling effort saw them lift the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21.
Needless to say, the bowlers will have a massive say in the upcoming edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. There is an added context to the tournament with a mega auction ahead of the 2022 season of the IPL. So some of these bowlers will be under the watchful eyes of the scouts of various franchises.
Solid returns in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 could well fetch a contract for some of these young bowlers.
Here, we take a look at
Five bowlers to watch out for in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021
#5 KM Asif
KM Asif has been a regular feature for Kerala over the years and in recent times, has been part of their first XI too. With bustling action and a strong physique, Asif clocks speeds in excess of 140 kph. He hits the hard length on a regular basis to rush the batters. Barring this, Asif also has a pinpoint yorker which he is capable of executing at will.
Asif has been a part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL since 2018. Opportunities have been hard to come by though with CSK using the services of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur as their Indian seamers. Asif did get a game during the 2021 season though. He even picked up the wicket of Yashashvi Jaiswal off the first ball he bowled against the Rajasthan Royals.
Asif did so in a game where the more fancied names in his side took a massive hammering. This shows the temperament of the seamer to hold his own. A strong showing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 could well aid his cause in fetching another IPL contract at the mega auction. Who knows, CSK could well look at retaining his services as well given what he brings as a fast-bowling package.
#4 Vaibhav Arora
A swing bowler from Himachal Pradesh, Vaibhav Arora enjoyed fruitful returns in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21. Arora scapled 10 wickets from six games at a strike-rate of 13.60, whilst conceding runs at a good economy rate of 7.41 runs per over.
Arora was then rewarded with his maiden IPL deal that saw the Kolkata Knight Riders draft him into their roster. But Arora was all but a backup bowler in the side and could not get his cap throughout the campaign.
That said, the 23-year-old is a promising young talent who has also started well in first-class cricket, albeit across a small sample size. Scouts from various IPL franchises will certainly have their eye on Vaibhav Arora. Another good showing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy could see him bag another deal at the mega auction.