SMAT: Sai Sudharsan's century powers Tamil Nadu to thrilling 3-wicket win over Saurashtra

New Delhi [India], December 8 (ANI): Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra were already out of contention in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), but Sai Sudharsan's unbeaten 102 off 55 balls catapulted TN to a thrilling three-wicket win, lifting them to fourth place on Monday.
Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya had left TN reeling at 29 for 3, chasing 183, with Sai Sudharsan left to mount a one-man rescue mission. With partners drying up, he unleashed a blistering 28-ball fifty, ripping the ball to all corners with his trademark flicks, pulls, cuts, and drives.
The seventh-wicket stand of 37 runs in just 13 balls between Sai Sudharsan and Sunny Sandhu sealed the game for TN.
In Hyderabad, Haryana secured their spot in the next stage, thanks to a top-order onslaught that propelled them to 191 for 9 against Bengal. Ankit Kumar (46 off 30), Nishant Sindhu (48 off 31), and Yashvardhan Dalal (31 off 22) led the charge, nullifying a spirited Bengal attack led by Mohammed Shami (4-0-30-4) and Akash Deep (4-0-32-2). Bengal fell 24 runs short, sealing their exit.
In Lucknow, Mumbai, already through from Group A, capped off their league stage campaign with a bang, chasing down 168 against Odisha thanks to Ajinkya Rahane's imperious, unbeaten 95 off 56 balls.
Suryansh Shedge's 3 for 46 had kept Odisha to 167 for 7, but Rahane and Sarfaraz Khan blasted 74 off the first six overs, setting up a comfortable nine-wicket win with four overs to spare.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi joined Rahane to seal the deal, finishing unbeaten on 38 off 26. Rahane overtook Suryakumar Yadav's tally of 1717 to become Mumbai's top T20 scorer with 1727 runs.
In Hyderabad, Naman Dhir's explosive 61 off 36 and Harpreet Brar's all-round show propelled Punjab to 188 for 8, securing a commanding 75-run win over Gujarat and booking their Super League spot.
Dhir struck four fours and three sixes at No. 4, setting the tone for cameos from Salil Arora (30 off 19) and Sanvir Singh (30 off 17), before Harpreet Brar smashed 24 off just eight balls at No. 9, finishing the innings in style.
In Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh secured Super League qualification despite a narrow 13-run loss to Jammu and Kashmir in their final game, finishing second in Group B alongside table-toppers Hyderabad.
J&K posted 150 for 9, with Abdul Samad (27 off 24) and Auqib Nabi (32 off 21) leading the charge. In response, MP's Harsh Gawali (33 off 32) and Harpreet Singh Bhatia (32 off 29) forged a promising 68-run stand, but the partnership was broken, and MP's hopes dwindled. Despite efforts from Rajat Patidar (2) and Venkatesh Iyer (23), Nabi and Sumit Kumar's three wickets each sealed MP's fate, bundling them out for 137.
In Hyderabad, Baroda's wicketkeeper/batter Amit Passi made history by equaling the world record for the highest individual score on T20 debut, scoring an unbeatable 114 runs off 55 balls against Services.
Passi unleashed a blistering attack, blitzing to a half-century in just 24 balls. He kept the momentum going, reaching his maiden T20 century in 44 deliveries, with a spectacular ninth six to seal the deal.
Passi is the tenth man to score a century on T20 debut, and the third to do so in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after Akshath Reddy (for Hyderabad against Mumbai in 2010) and Shivam Bhambri (for Chandigarh against Himachal Pradesh in 2019).
Passi now also holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian batter on T20 Debut.
Passi's remarkable innings helped Baroda post a commanding total of 220 for five in 20 overs, securing a 13-run win over Services. Passi's century was the 15th of this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a tournament record. There were 13 centuries scored in 2018/19 and 2023/24 SMAT, and 14 in 2024/25.
The league stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy concluded on Monday, with teams confirming their slots in the Super League. Mumbai and Andhra made it from Group A, Hyderabad and Madhya Pradesh from Group B, Punjab and Haryana from Group C, and Rajasthan and Jharkhand from Group D. They will now be split into two groups of four each, and the teams that top those groups will play the final on December 18 in Pune. (ANI)