Best playing 11 of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 ft. Riyan Parag, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 concluded on Monday, November 6, with Punjab clinching their maiden title as they defeated Baroda on their home ground of the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

Having been asked to bat first, Punjab rode on Anmolpreet Singh's 61-ball 113 and Nehal Wadhera's stunning unbeaten 61 off 27 deliveries to post a mammoth 223/4 in their 20 overs.

In response, Ninad Rathva's 22-ball 47 and Abhimanyu Singh's 42-ball 61 led Baroda's charge alongside skipper Krunal Pandya's 45 off 32 deliveries. Wicket-keeper Vishnu Solanki threatened to pull off the unthinkable before a triple-wicket 19th over from Arshdeep Singh put things to rest as Baroda eventually fell 20 runs short.

With the IPL player auction slated to take place in Dubai in December, a host of players have put their hand up with their sparkling displays at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023.

With the tournament drawing to a close, let's pen down the best playing XI from the same, as well as four impact substitute options.

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Openers: Abhishek Sharma and Bipin Saurabh

The Player of the Tournament at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023, Abhishek Sharma was at the forefront of Punjab's title charge. The left-handed opener piled up 485 runs at an average of 48.50 and a staggering strike rate of 192.46, scoring three half-centuries and two centuries along the way.

He was the epitome of consistency and destruction, and it's no surprise as to why he was voted the Player of the Tournament.

Bihar's Bipin Saurabh was the third highest run-getter of the competition, with 420 runs at an average of 70 and a strike rate of 150.53. With five fifties in seven innings, he emerged as one of the finds of the competition even as his team failed to progress to the knockouts.

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Middle order and all-rounders: Harvik Desai (wk), Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, Krunal Pandya (c) and Rinku Singh

Saurashtra's Harvik Desai opened the innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 but will bat at No. 3 in this playing XI. The talented wicket-keeper batter scored 336 runs at an average of 67.20 and a strike rate of 175, with two fifties and a century to go with it. He will don the wicket-keeping gloves in this team as well.

Hyderabad may have failed to make it past the group stages, but Tilak Varma was at his sublime best again. The left-handed batter, who recently made his international debut, scored 288 runs at an average of 96 while striking at a rate of 143.28. His unbeaten 121 in a team total of 186 against Baroda was easily one of the innings of the tournament.

Assam's Riyan Parag was a man possessed during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023. He became the first man in history to score seven consecutive half-centuries in T20 cricket - a feat that saw him top the charts with 510 runs at an average of 85 and a strike rate of 182.79. This was in addition to his 11 wickets with his off-spin as he capped off a fabulous campaign that saw Assam make the semifinals.

Krunal Pandya led the way for Baroda as they finished as the runners-up of the tournament. The all-rounder scored 323 runs, including three half-centuries, while picking up seven wickets at a miserly economy rate of 6.03. Pandya will be the captain of this playing XI.

Rinku Singh reiterated his credentials as arguably the best T20 finisher in India at present. The cult star slammed 256 runs at an average of 85.33 and a stunning strike rate of 170.66. He had three fifties to his name, including an unbeaten 33-ball 77 against Punjab as Uttar Pradesh went down in the quarterfinals.

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Bowlers: Akash Sengupta, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Ravi Teja and Suyash Sharma

Veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads a three-man pace attack that also includes Akash Sengupta and T Ravi Teja. Bhuvneshwar bagged 16 wickets at just 9.31 apiece as he boasted a measly economy rate of 5.84, striking once every 9.56 deliveries in what was a magnificent campaign.

Ravi Teja topped the wicket charts at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023, taking just seven matches to snare 19 wickets, including returns of 6/13 against Chattisgarh. Sengupta was an intergral part of Assam's semifinal run as his 12 wickets at 22.41 apiece indicate.

Suyash Sharma walks in as the lead-spinner alongside all-rounders Pandya and Parag. Suyash, the wrist-spinner who made heads turn in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), announced himself with a five-fer against a strong Madhya Pradesh lineup as he finished with 18 wickets from 7 matches for Delhi. All at an economy rate of 4.64!

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Impact substitute options

Like at the IPL, the impact player rule was regularly in use at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023. Two fast bowlers who were unfortunate to miss out on the main XI headline our choices here.

Baroda's Atit Sheth might have endured a forgettable final but his 18 wickets at 14.27 apiece and an economy rate of 7.55 were instrumental in Baroda making it to the summit clash.

Tushar Deshpande bagged a hat-trick apart from chipping away at the wickets regularly for Mumbai. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) speedster conceded runs at an economy rate of just under seven for his 16 wickets, continuing to take giant strides in his career.

Harpreet Brar, who bowled the last over in the final for Punjab, offers the option of a spinning all-rounder. He didn't have much to do with the bat but was very effective with the ball, finishing with 15 scalps at 18.80 apiece.

The final impact substitute option is Upendra Yadav of Railways. The wicket-keeper batter who has represented India A piled up 301 runs, averaging 75.25 at a superb strike rate of 172. He also cleared the fence 23 times, fourth on the list behind Parag, Abhishek and Saurabh.

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Best playing 11 of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023: Abhishek Sharma, Bipin Saurabh, Harvik Desai (wk), Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, Krunal Pandya (c), Rinku Singh, Akash Sengupta, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Ravi Teja, Suyash Sharma.

Impact substitute options: Atit Sheth, Tushar Deshpande, Harpreet Brar and Upendra Yadav.

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Which star performer from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 do you think should bag an IPL contract? Have your say in the comments section below!

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