Gujarat’s Stellar Performance
On the opening day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025, Gujarat’s captain Urvil Patel delivered an explosive century, complemented by half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson. In a Group C match against Services, Gujarat successfully chased down a target of 183 runs, bolstered by Gaurav Kochar’s impressive 60 runs off 37 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes. Urvil, who joined Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as an injury replacement last IPL season, smashed an incredible 119 runs off just 37 balls, featuring 12 fours and 10 sixes. Besides him, Aarya Desai contributed a solid 60 runs off 35 balls. Gujarat achieved their target with eight wickets remaining and 45 balls to spare. Urvil’s 31-ball century marks the second-fastest by an Indian, following his own record of 28 balls set last year.
Group A Highlights
In a Group A encounter, Railways faced Mumbai, posting a total of 158 runs for five wickets in 20 overs, with Ashutosh Sharma leading the charge with 61 runs off 30 balls. Mumbai, in response, secured a comfortable victory, thanks to Rahane’s 62 runs off 33 balls and Suryakumar Yadav’s 47 runs off 30 balls, successfully chasing the target in just 15.5 overs with seven wickets to spare.
Another match in Group A saw Kerala dominate Odisha, with Rohan Kunnummal scoring an unbeaten 121 runs off 60 balls and Samson adding 51 runs off 41 balls. Kerala chased down 176 runs without losing a wicket, finishing with 21 balls to spare.
Group C Action Continues
In a thrilling Group C match, Puducherry faced Haryana, falling just five runs short of their target of 202 runs. Despite fifties from Arsh Ranga (90 runs off 47 balls) and Yashvardhan Dalal (52 runs off 31 balls), Haryana managed only 196 runs for six wickets in their 20 overs. Puducherry set a total of 201 runs, with Pugazhendi Akash scoring 60 runs off 23 balls.
Baroda and Bengal also engaged in an exciting Group C clash, where Baroda scored 181 runs for eight wickets, led by Bhanu Pania’s unbeaten 53 runs. Bengal chased down the target with six wickets remaining and 17 balls to spare, thanks to Abishek Porel’s 50 runs off 24 balls.
Punjab’s Victory in Group C
In another Group C match, Punjab Kings (PBKS) triumphed over Himachal Pradesh, restricting them to 147 runs for eight wickets. Harpreet Brar was instrumental with the ball, taking two wickets for just 14 runs. Despite a few early wickets, Anmolpreet Singh’s 43 runs off 27 balls and Ramandeep Singh’s quickfire 22 runs helped Punjab chase down the total in 13.5 overs with five wickets in hand.
Group B Results
In Group B, Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi struggled with just 14 runs as Chandigarh successfully chased down 158 runs in 18.4 overs, with U19 World Cup star Raj Angad Bawa contributing 36 runs off 22 balls and taking two wickets.
Maharashtra faced a five-wicket defeat against Jammu and Kashmir, with Auqib Nabi taking three wickets for 28 runs. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prithvi Shaw had disappointing outings, scoring only 6 and 5 runs, respectively.
In another Group B match, UP secured a six-wicket victory over Goa, who posted 172 runs. Abhinav Tejrana’s explosive 72 runs off 35 balls stood out, but UP’s bowlers, Shivam Mavi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, excelled, leading to a successful chase spearheaded by Aryan Juyal’s unbeaten 93 runs.
Group D Summary
In Group D, Delhi suffered a seven-wicket loss to Jharkhand, managing only 132 runs. Priyansh Arya and Ayush Badoni were the top scorers for Delhi. Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra and Ishan Kishan led their team to victory with 45* and 27 runs, respectively.
Uttarakhand faced Karnataka, where Karnataka’s rising star Ravichandran Smaran scored 67 runs off 41 balls, guiding his team to chase down 198 runs with five wickets remaining.
