Fresh From Maiden ODI Ton, Jaiswal To Boost Mumbai's SMAT Title Defence

Mumbai, who are defending their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title, will be boosted by the presence of India international Yashasvi Jaiswal. The left-handed batter, who smashed his maiden ODI ton during the last ODI of the three-match series against South Africa in Visakhapatnam, has given his consent to play in the knockout stage of SMAT. 

"He has made himself available for the SMAT campaign," Cricbuzz quoted a source in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) as saying.

So far, Jaiswal has played 28 matches in SMAT, with the last of them coming in the 2023-24 season. The southpaw has scored 648 runs in 26 innings at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 136.42 with three half centuries to his kitty in the tournament.

Mumbai, who are at the top of their group in Elite Group A, have one more game to go before making it to the Super League round. The Shardul Thakur-led side will play their last group stage encounter against Odisha, on December 8 in Lucknow.

Mumbai, which won their maiden SMAT title in 2022/23, had their second title one season later in 2024-25. With an aim to secure this season’s title too, Mumbai will now be looking to become the joint-highest titleholder in India’s premier domestic T20 tournament alongside Tamil Nadu.

The Super League, a new feature in SMAT, which used to follow a knockout system after the group stages, until the very last season, will see the top two teams from all the four Elite groups be divided into two groups at the Super League level.

The winners of Super League Group A will face the winner of Super League Group B in the final, scheduled to be held on December 18 in Pune.

Two grounds in Pune Metropolitan Region, i.e. Dr Dy Patil Academy Ground in Ambi and the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje will be the host of the Super League stage. Three match days in the Super League stage apart from the finale have been decided as December 12, 14 and 16 respectively.