Riyan Parag and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are all set to feature in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, which starts at various venues nationwide on Wednesday.
The 18th edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the premier domestic T20 tournament in India, will see a total of 38 teams in action.
The Elite competition will feature 32 teams while six sides will compete in the Plate tournament.
All 32 Elite teams have been split into four groups of eight, while the Plate division comprises six sides with the top two advancing to the Plate final.
Meanwhile, in the Elite competition, a revamped format this year has replaced the traditional post-group knockouts with a Super League stage.
The top two teams from each Elite group will qualify for the Super League, where the teams will be divided equally into two groups.
Each team will play three matches in the Super League and the group toppers will meet in the final in Indore on December 18.
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Riyan Parag and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi - both of whom are a part of the Rajasthan Royals set-up in the Indian Premier League - will be seen representing their respective states in SMAT 2025.
The 24-year-old Parag, who will represent his home state the Assam cricket team, finished as the top-scorer in the 2023 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored 510 runs at an average of 85 and a strike rate of 182.79, smashing seven fifties in just 10 innings.
Overall, Parag has scored 3115 runs in 137 T20 matches at an average of 32.11 and a strike rate of 146.45.
Riyan Parag’s Assam is clubbed in Elite Group A along with Mumbai, Vidarbha, Andhra, Kerala, Railways, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Parag will also face his Rajasthan Royals teammate Tushar Deshpande, who is representing defending champions Mumbai, in an Elite Group A clash. Tushar Deshpande has taken 127 wickets in 92 matches at an average of 22.55 in T20 cricket.
Meanwhile, teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been named the vice-captain of the Bihar cricket team. At 13 years and 241 days, Vaibhav became the youngest player to debut in T20 cricket while representing Bihar against Rajasthan last November.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has enjoyed a breakthrough season after making his IPL debut with the Royals earlier this year. From smashing a six off his very first IPL ball to a record-breaking 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been in red-hot form this year.
He earned the Super Striker of the Season award in IPL 2025. Vaibhav also made a record-breaking century in Youth ODIs this year.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Bihar are a part of Elite Group B along with Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Goa.
Sandeep Sharma, on the other hand, will play for Chandigarh. The 14-year-old Vaibhav will also face his Rajasthan Royals teammate Yudhvir Singh, who is representing Jammu & Kashmir, in an Elite Group A clash.
