Defending champions Jharkhand kicked off their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2026 title defence on Saturday, 14 November with a commanding six-wicket victory over Mizoram at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Saurashtra, Andhra, and Gujarat also opened their campaigns with wins on day one of the league stage.

Jharkhand Dominate Mizoram at Wankhede

Jharkhand needed only 8.3 overs to overhaul a modest target of 77, as their bowlers first dismantled Mizoram for 76. Harsh Raj led the bowling attack with figures of 3-16, keeping Mizoram's batters under constant pressure throughout their innings.

In the chase, Utkarsh Singh played the standout knock, smashing an unbeaten 45 off 26 balls — including five fours and three sixes — to steer Jharkhand home despite the loss of four wickets. Chinmay Sutar, who had a prolific first half of the Ranji Trophy season and notably hit an unbeaten 400 against Nagaland, contributed only 19 off 15 balls in this outing.

Saurashtra Beat Bihar Despite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Captaincy Debut

At Holkar Stadium, Indore, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's first game as Bihar captain ended in defeat. Bihar, batting first after winning the toss, posted 137/9 in their 20 overs. Prithvi Raj top-scored with 38 off 27 balls, hitting four sixes, while Altamish added 24. Sooryavanshi himself made 18 off 12 balls before being dismissed caught and bowled by left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya.

Sakariya returned bowling figures of 3-33, while Prerak Mankad was even more economical with 3-20. Skipper Jaydev Unadkat and Krains Fuletra each added a wicket. In reply, Harvansh Singh set a blistering tone with 33 off 11 balls — including three fours and three sixes — as Saurashtra chased down the target in 16.3 overs with 21 balls to spare, winning by five wickets. Sakariya was named Player of the Match. Notably, Sooryavanshi is also scheduled to join the India A squad for the Rising Stars Men's Asia Cup, to be held in Doha from 19 to 29 November.

Andhra Ease Past Tripura in New Chandigarh

In an Elite Group C fixture at New Chandigarh, Andhra defeated Tripura by 43 runs. Batting first, Andhra posted 141/9 in 20 overs, with SNDV Prasad anchoring the innings with an unbeaten fifty off 33 balls.

Tripura were bundled out for 98 in 17.2 overs, with pacers Cheepurapalli Stephen and KV Sasikanth each claiming three wickets. Tripura's batting unit failed to show any resistance and could not bat out their full quota of overs.

Gujarat Post Mammoth 250 to Down Odisha at Eden Gardens

At the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Gujarat posted a commanding 250/9 — powered by a stunning innings from debutant Khilan Patel, a member of the India U-19 World Cup winning squad this year, who hammered 84 off just 29 balls, striking six fours and eight sixes. Skipper Urvil Patel added a blistering 62 off 30 balls with six fours and four sixes. A late flourish from Ashutosh Sharma (20 not out off 9 balls) and Vishal Jayswal (22 not out off 8 balls) pushed Gujarat's total beyond reach.

For Odisha, Lalit Yadav and Debabrata Pradhan each scalped three wickets. Despite a magnificent 87 off 49 balls from Subhranshu Senapati and Kartik Biswal's 55 off 32 balls, Odisha fell short at 229/8, losing by 21 runs. Left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla finished with 4-50, while leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi contributed 2-37 in his four overs. The SMAT 2026 league stage continues with more group fixtures in the coming days, with Jharkhand's title defence now firmly underway.