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Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav powered Mumbai to a seven-wicket win over Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy; Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra also secured victories.
Suryakumar Yadav in action for Mumbai in SMAT 2025
Defending champions Mumbai commenced their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign with a confident performance, defeating Railways by seven wickets in a Group A match on Wednesday. Contributions from India players Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav proved pivotal.
Chasing a modest target of 158 for 5 in 20 overs, Mumbai had no trouble achieving it, as Rahane scored a 33-ball 62, which included four boundaries and five sixes, helping the team finish the chase with 25 balls to spare.
India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, who added a 51-run partnership with Rahane for the second wicket, made a strong return to the field with a 30-ball 47 after a successful 2-1 away series win against Australia earlier this month.
Railways, led by former India player Karn Sharma, had a poor start, losing their openers for just 19 runs. Former India-U19 player Mohammad Saif stabilized the innings with a well-made 48, supported by young Ravi Singh (26 off 19 balls) and Ashutosh Sharma (61 off 30 balls).
After Saif’s departure with Railways struggling at 113/4, Sharma boosted the score by hitting seven boundaries and three sixes. Sharma, known for the fastest T20 fifty by an Indian in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and picked by Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025, struck at a rate of nearly 204, challenging the Mumbai bowlers led by Shardul Thakur.
Thakur (1/15) and Shivam Dube (1/11) each took a wicket.
Mumbai’s chase remained untroubled after Rahane’s solid start, assisted by Ayush Mhatre (18). By the time Rahane was dismissed, Mumbai were well-positioned at 113/2, with Suryakumar providing the final push to secure the win, fine-tuning his skills for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa.
In another match, Chhattisgarh defended a modest 133, thanks to their bowlers, particularly right-arm pacer Sourabh Majumdar who claimed three wickets, leading to a 27-run victory over Vidarbha.
Kerala achieved a 10-wicket victory over Odisha by chasing a 177-run target in just 16.3 overs. Rohan Kunnummal’s 60-ball 121 overshadowed Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 51.
Brief scores (all matches in Lucknow):
Railways 158 for 5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Saif 48, Ashutosh Sharma 61; Shardul Thakur 1/15, Shivam Dube 1/11) lost to Mumbai 159 for 3 in 15.5 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 62, Suryakumar Yadav 47; Rahul Sharma 2/43) by 7 wickets.
Chhattisgarh 133 for 9 in 20 overs (Shashank Singh 34; Yash Thakur 3/25, Harsh Dubey 2/13) beat Vidarbha 106 in 19.1 overs (Sourabh Majumdar 3/23, Shubham Agarwal 2/13, Ravi Kiran 2/10) by 27 runs.
Odisha 176 for 7 in 20 overs (Biplab Samantray 53; MD Nidheesh 4/35) lost to Kerala 177 for no loss in 16.3 overs (Sanju Samson 51 not out, Rohan Kunnummal 121 not out) by 10 wickets.
Andhra 143 for 9 in 20 overs (Ricky Bhui 46; Mukhtar Hussain 4/20) beat Assam 114 in 19.4 overs (Pradyun Saikia 44; Satyanarayana Raju 3/20, Prithvi Raj 2/12) by 29 runs.
(With PTI Inputs)
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
November 26, 2025, 21:09 IST
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