India’s domestic cricket season is underway, and the senior men’s state teams finished with the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy 2024/25. Now the Ranji Trophy will resume after a gap of two months.
In between, two of India’s premier white-ball tournaments will take place across the country. First up will be the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, which will start in November 2024.
So as we inch closer to yet another season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), here’s everything you need to know.
When does the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 start?
The domestic T20 tournament will begin on November 23, 2024, a day before the IPL 2025 mega auction kicks off. Many players will look to put in their best performance in the tournament, especially in the first-round matches.
There will be 135 matches played over the next three weeks till mid-December. SMAT will conclude on December 15, with the summit clash in Bengaluru.
How many teams are participating?
38 in total. All teams will have a shot at winning the prestigious tournament. Punjab are the defending champions and will be eager to defend their title.
Are they split into groups?
Yes. The 38 teams have been clubbed into five groups – Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, and Group E.
The first three groups consist of eight teams each, while the last two have seven each.
Here’s how the five groups stack:
Group A: Bengal, Bihar, Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan.
Group B: Baroda, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Saurashtra, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand.
Group C: Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh.
Group D: Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Puducherry, Railways, Vidarbha.
Group E: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Nagaland, Services.
What are the venues?
In all, 12 venues across India will host SMAT matches. Ten of the venues will host matches of a particular group, while M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, and KSCA Cricket Ground, Alur, will host the knockouts.
Here is a list of all venues for SMAT 2024:
- Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot (Group A)
- Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium C, Rajkot (Group A)
- Holkar Stadium, Indore (Group B)
- Emerald Heights International School Ground, Indore (Group B)
- Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai (Group C)
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Group C)
- Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam (Group D)
- Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex, Vizianagaram (Group D)
- Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad (Group E)
- Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad (Group E)
- M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (Knockouts)
- KSCA Cricket Ground, Alur (Knockouts)
What’s the format like?
Teams play in the single round-robin format against their group members. The top two teams from each group make it to the knockouts.
The table toppers head straight to the quarter-finals, along with the sixth-best side among the No. 2 teams, while the other four second-placed teams play in the pre-quarters.
Then the pre-quarter winners will fill the other two quarter-final slots. From there, the winners will advance to the semi-finals, followed by the final.
Find out more about the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy’s format and points system here.
Is there the impact player rule in place?
After testing out the impact player rule for two seasons, the BCCI has decided to do away with it in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. So you won’t see the impact player rule in action this season, though it will be in use in IPL 2025.
Are any big names playing in SMAT?
Yes. The current No. 1 all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, is returning to the tournament after a long time. Mohammed Shami will also test his fitness levels after recovering from an injury.
Axar Patel will lead Gujarat, while Tilak Varma will captain Hyderabad. Yuzvendra Chahal is part of Haryana’s squad, and veteran Ishant Sharma will lead Delhi’s pace attack.
In form wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson is back at the helm of Kerala. After leading India A on the Australia tour, Ruturaj Gaikwad will assume charge of Maharashtra.
Apart from these, many promising players are in the mix and will look to get some good performances under their belt.
Where to watch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024?
BCCI’s official broadcaster will live-stream the matches on the JioCinema app and website. Some select matches will be available on the Sports18 TV channel.
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