Mumbai won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 after beating Madhya Pradesh in the final by five wickets in Bengaluru on Sunday, December 15. During the tournament, several cricketers grabbed the spotlight as they impressed with their performances.
The more fancied teams fared well but the performances of some of the underdogs stood out and made the tournament even more intriguing. The fierce competition was thoroughly enjoyed by cricket enthusiasts, who came in numbers to watch their favourite players in action, especially at the business end of the tournament.
Here’s a look at the top three run-getters from SMAT 2024:
3. Sakibul Gani
The 25-year-old Sakibul Gani captained Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 and played some stunning knocks. He aggregated 353 runs from seven innings at an average of 58.83 and a strike rate of 142.33. The right-handed batter scored one century and two half-centuries in the tournament.
Gani’s highest score came against Mizoram when he smashed an unbeaten 120 off 66 balls, hitting 13 fours and five sixes. The Motihari-born also scored half-centuries against Bengal and Meghalaya in the group stage.
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2. Rajat Patidar
Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar led the team to the finals, where they lost to Mumbai at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by five wickets. Patidar finished the tournament with 428 runs from nine innings at a staggering average of 61.14 and an equally impressive strike rate of 186.08.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter notched up five half-centuries in the tournament, including a highest score of 81* (40) in the finals. The 31-year-old also thrashed the most number of sixes (31) in the competition.
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1. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane turned back the clock as he played some scintillating knocks, showing great consistency during the T20 competition. He finished as the highest run-scorer, amassing 469 runs from eight innings at an average of 58.62 and a strike rate of 164.56.
Rahane scored five half-centuries, including a highest score of 98 (56) against Baroda in the semi-finals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He also won the Player of the Match award in the quarter-finals, playing a swashbuckling knock of 84 runs off 45 balls against Vidarbha as Mumbai chased down a daunting 222-run target in Alur.