The 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 league, ended with Mumbai defeating Himachal Pradesh in the final on Sunday — here are the five breakout stars from the tournament.
Avneesh Sudha – Uttarakhand
271 runs @ 38.71, SR: 126.04, HS: 96
The 20-year-old did not have the best strike rate but regularly got starts and was the most consistent player from his side. No other batter could score more than 185 runs from Uttarakhand, and he batted sensibly, scoring 31, 4, 38, 20, 43, 39 and 96 in his seven games.
His knock of 96 against the eventual champions came off 66 balls in a run chase of 175, in a game where no other batter from his side could score more than 30. Three registered ducks and four others notched up a single-digit score, as he kept the game alive. However, his dismissal in the penultimate over led to a collapse, with Uttarakhand losing three more wickets in the span of four balls as they lost by two runs. He also picked up two wickets with the ball.
Arjun Tendulkar – Goa
10 wickets @ 13.10, ER: 5.69, BBI: 4-10
The left-arm pacer switched sides from Mumbai to Goa ahead of the season in a bid to get more games, and the decision paid off. Not only did Tendulkar play all seven games for his side, but he was also only one of two bowlers to pick up 10 or more scalps. The youngster picked up a wicket every 13.8 deliveries and was a lethal new-ball bowler for Goa.
The highlight was a four-wicket haul against Hyderabad, ending the game with figures of 4-1-10-4, including the wickets of Tilak Verma and Ravi Teja. The fact that no other bowler had an economy rate of below seven from his side highlights how exceptional he was on the day. However, his efforts went in vain as Goa lost by 37 runs.
Sanvir Singh – Punjab
119 runs @ 59.50, SR: 205.17, HS: 55*
Sanvir batted in only five innings but managed to leave an impact every time, fulfilling the role of designated finisher to perfection. He started off the league with a stunning knock of 55* in just 19 deliveries, hitting five sixes and three boundaries at a strike rate of 289.47. His next four knocks were equally aggressive. After an unbeaten 12-ball 16 against Delhi, he made nine off 17 and 27* off 13 before ending with four runs.
Sanvir was unbeaten in three of his five innings and was the only player who ended with a strike rate of over 200 among batters who made at least 35 runs in the tournament.
Vidhwath Kaverappa – Karnataka
18 wickets @ 10.72, ER: 6.36, BBI: 5-11
The right-arm fast bowler made his professional T20 debut in the tournament and ensured he left his mark, ending as the second-highest wicket-taker, one behind Siddarth Kaul. He picked up at least a wicket in seven of his eight innings in the tournament and had the second-best bowling average among all pacers with at least 10 scalps to their name. Only one of three bowlers to pick up a five-wicket haul in the tournament, Kaverappa also bagged three wickets in an innings three other times.
Yash Dhull – Delhi
363 runs @ 72.60, SR: 131.52, HS: 73
Dhull is already a well-known name, having led the India under-19 team to the World Cup earlier this year and then winning a contract with Delhi Capitals later. A gifted player who can play extraordinary shots, Dhull ended the SMAT as the leading run-scorer, making 31 runs more than second-placed Prithvi Shaw.
The teenager also scored the second-most fifties in the edition and crossed 30 six times in eight innings to further establish himself as an upcoming star.
