Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019: Top 7 players from the tournament

A plethora of domestic tournaments have been getting a huge success in India pertaining to the huge number of cricketers in the country. The passion for cricket is at the highest level in India. This passion has led to the BCCI incepting various domestic tournaments for the young guns to showcase their talent. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is one such platform which was originated so that the Indian domestic players get accustomed to the popular T20 format.

The tournament was held for the first time in the year 2008/09 being named after the famous Indian cricketer, Syed Mushtaq Ali. The 10th edition of this mega-event took place from 21 February to 14 March 2019. 37 teams battled amongst each other out of which Karnataka emerged as the champions.

Karnataka won their first ever Syed Mushtaq Ali championship title in the year 2019, conquering it from the defending champions, Delhi. The tournament comprised 5 groups with 3 groups having 7 teams and 2 groups having 8 teams each. Out of the total of 37 teams, 2 teams, Karnataka and Maharashtra progressed to the final match, played on 14 March.

Karnataka clinched the final on the back of Mayank Agarwal’s classy knock. However, few other players also came up as the top performers of this tournament. Let us take a look at the top seven performers of the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

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#7 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has been trying his best to get into the India’s ODI squad since last the few years. However, with the squad already filled with some top class players, he has failed to find a place. Hence, Shreyas is trying his best at the domestic level to fit in the national squad which reflects in his domestic performance this season.

Shreyas registered the highest individual score by an Indian in T20s while playing for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He played an innings of 147 runs from just 55 balls against Sikkim which took the whole world with a shock. He batted with a strike rate of 267.27 which describes his current form and eagerness to play international cricket.

#6 Nathu Singh

Nathu Singh had played for Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League

Nathu Singh has been in his top class form in domestic tournaments in India. He has been in his best zone when he gets the ball in his hands. However, he is still unknown to the world. Nathu has even played for 2 franchises in IPL. Mumbai Indians was his first IPL franchise and he later on switched to Gujarat Lions. He played under Suresh Raina’s captaincy in the year 2016-17.

Nathu Singh proved to be the best bowler of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 based on bowling average. He played the total of 3 matches for his side in which he bowled 10 overs. In his quota of 10 overs, he grabbed 7 wickets which even included top class batsmen. His bowling average of just 5.86 was the lowest of this season.

#5 Gurinder Singh

Gurinder Singh had the best batting average in the tournament

The 26-year-old Gurinder Singh came out as the best batting all-rounder from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019. The boy from Punjab had the highest batting average amongst all other batsmen. Singh made his first-class debut for Tripura in the Ranji Trophy which took place in the year 2016-17.

He has also played for Meghalaya and Punjab in domestic tournaments so far. Gurinder was the joint wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy of 2018-19 while playing for Meghalaya and also the highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy of 2018-19 for his side. This shows his superb domestic form.

He played for Punjab in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in which he emerged as the batsman with the best batting average. He scored the total of 207 runs from 6 matches at an average of 103.50.

#4 Rahul Shukla

Rahul Shukla had played for Rajasthan Royals in IPL

Rahul Shukla had been in the limelight for few years when he played for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. So far, he has played for 3 IPL franchises which even includes Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils. However, he got the best benefit while playing for Rajasthan side in the year 2013. He has been playing for Jharkhand at domestic level from 2009.

Shukla proved to be the cornerstone for Jharkhand in the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He topped the list of highest 5 wicket-haul-takers in this season by outperforming other bowlers in a cut-throat competition. He grabbed 1 five-wicket haul from 9 matches along with the total of 19 wickets. The 2nd best bowler in this list, Sayan Ghosh was just 1 wicket behind his total as he also grabbed 1 five-wicket haul.

#3 Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed is the best left-arm pacer in India at the moment

Khaleel Ahmed has proved to be the premier left-arm bowler for India in the recent few matches. He got the national call-up pertaining to his top class form in domestic tournaments. He may even get the chance to play for India in 2019 ICC World Cup as India has none left-arm fast bowler other than him. His recent domestic performances will also contribute in getting him the World Cup call.

Playing for Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he emerged out as the lead pacer for his side with the ball. He topped the list of bowlers with the best bowling strike-rate in this edition and even left Nathu Singh behind him.

Khaleel grabbed the total of 12 wickets from 4 matches at the bowling strike rate of 7.33. His strike rate was the best of the season as the second best bowler Nathu Singh was way behind him.

#2 Satyajeet Bachhav

Satyajeet Bachhav grabbed the total of 20 wickets in the tournament

To emerge as the leading wicket-taker of any tournament whether it is at the international or domestic level is a matter of pride for every bowler. However, to top this list at domestic level is more beneficial as it may help him in getting the national call-up for his side. The domestic tournaments are working as the best platform for the new faces to achieve success in their cricketing career.

Satyajeet Bachhav took the whole world with a shock as he emerged out as the leading wicket taker from the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. While playing for Maharashtra, Satyajeet grabbed 20 wickets from 12 matches which showcases his talent. He had an average of just 13.40 which describes his discipline too. He could be the next best left arm spin bowler for India if he continues his tremendous form.

#1 Rohan Kadam

Rohan Kadam scored the highest number of runs in the tournament

The 10th edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy proved to be a wonder for India in domestic cricket. The world saw unknown faces which had extra-ordinary talent. Just like Maharashtra’s Satyajeet Bachhav, a new batting star named Rohan Kadam has emerged from this edition of the tournament.

While playing for Karnataka, Rohan scored a total of 536 runs in 12 matches at an average of 53.60 and led his team to the title. He was just 52 runs ahead of the 2nd highest run scorer, Shreyas Iyer.