Five groups. 38 teams. Nearly a month of non-stop cricket. 1 ultimate winner!
The 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy kick starts on October 11 as talented cricketers from across the country gear up to put their best foot forward in one of India’s premier T20 domestic competitions.
Teams will be divided in five elite groups, with each group featuring eight participating teams. Tamil Nadu, the defending champions from last season, and also the most successful team in the history of the tournament with three titles, feature in Group E.
Royals in action
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, who is currently on national duty in the South Africa series, has been named captain of the Kerala team. Sanju was also seen captaining the India A side in their recently concluded unofficial ODI series against New Zealand A. He finished as the tournament’s highest run-getter with 120 runs in three ODIs.
For now, in Sanju’s absence, teammate and middle order batter Sachin Baby will continue to fulfil the captaincy duties until the regular skipper returns.
Royals batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a fabulous outing in his maiden Duleep Trophy for title winners West Zone with his double hundred, will also be playing in this tournament. The southpaw was recently part of the Rest of India squad that lifted the 2022 Irani Cup against Saurashtra.
Another Royals batter Devdutt Padikkal will be seen in action for his state team, Karnataka. The stylish batter was in red-hot form in the inaugural edition of KSCA’s Maharaja Trophy, scoring 385 runs in 11 matches for Gulbarga Mystics and helping his team win the title.
Navdeep Saini will turn up for his domestic side, Delhi, after coming off a successful county debut for Kent a few months ago. The pacer sizzled with the red cherry in overseas conditions, which included registering a five-wicket haul against Warwickshire in his first outing.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will also witness hard-hitter Riyan Parag featuring for his state side, Assam.
