Suryakumar and Shedge Propel Mumbai to Their Second SMAT Championship
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Bengaluru, Dec 15 (NationPress) Suryakumar Yadav's 48 runs and Suryansh Shedge's impressive 36 not out led Mumbai to clinch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title with a comfortable five-wicket victory over Madhya Pradesh in the final at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
In pursuit of 175 runs, Mumbai accomplished their goal with 13 balls remaining, securing their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title.
The chase began poorly for Mumbai as opener Prithvi Shaw (10) was dismissed early by Tripuresh Singh in the second over. Captain Shreyas Iyer joined the in-form Ajinkya Rahane, and the pair built a quick 32-run partnership before Iyer was dismissed for 16 in the fifth over by Tripuresh.
Suryakumar entered at No. 4 and notably shifted the momentum in Mumbai's favor with a 52-run partnership alongside Rahane. The duo kept the scoreboard ticking and played aggressively, easing the pressure on their side. The partnership ended in the 12th over with Rahane's dismissal, keeping Madhya Pradesh's hopes alive. Rahane scored 36 runs off 30 balls, including four boundaries.
From the other end, the India T20I captain continued his assault as Shivam Dube struggled to provide support. Dube fell to spinner Kumar Kartikeya in the 14th over, leaving Mumbai needing 54 runs from 41 balls.
In the 16th over, Shivam Shukla claimed the crucial wicket of Suryakumar, who made 48 runs off 35 balls, including three sixes and four fours. Ultimately, late contributions from Atharva Ankolekar and Suryansh Shedge ensured victory for Mumbai in the 18th over, as the pair formed a match-winning partnership of 51 runs in just 19 balls.
Ankolekar smashed two sixes and remained unbeaten on 16 from six balls, while Shedge scored 36 not out with three sixes and three boundaries.
Shedge was awarded the Player of the Match for his late hitting, while Rahane was named Player of the Series for accumulating 469 runs, the highest in the tournament.
Earlier, captain Rajat Patidar's stellar performance of 81 runs off 40 balls, featuring six sixes and as many fours, propelled Madhya Pradesh to 174/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
For Mumbai, Shardul Thakur and Royston Dias each took two wickets.
Brief scores: Madhya Pradesh 174/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 81*, Subhranshu Senapati 23; Shardul Thakur 2-41, Royston Dias 2-32) lost to Mumbai 180/5 in 17.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 48, Ajinkya Rahane 37, Suryansh Shedge 36 not out; Tripuresh Singh 2-34) by five wickets.
