The nail-biting season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has now come to an end as Mumbai defeated MP in the finals of the tournament. While several teams performed exceedingly well throughout SMAT 2024, it was Shreyas Iyer-led men who outperformed others to win the title. Mumbai now emerge as strong contenders of winning the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy as they have already won three titles in the domestic season so far.
DC hopes to quench its title thirst after its players shine at SMAT 2024
The Delhi Capitals have time and again proved a team worthy of winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) although they have remained far from silverware until now. The team with its new avatar and name since the 2020 season, hopes to cherish their incomplete quest of an IPL title in the upcoming season with several impressive additions in the team.
5 DC players who impressed fans and analysts alike in the SMAT 2024
- Abhishek Porel (Bengal):
Abhishek Porel was the one steering the top order for Bengal in SMAT 2024. The 22-year-old youngster scored 335 runs for his domestic side in SMAT 2024. This includes an explosive 78-run knock off 48 balls against Rajasthan and an impressive 81 runs off 45 balls against Mizoram. Porel had a strike rate of around 158 throughout the tournament and can prove to be lethal playing for DC in the upcoming season.
- Axar Patel (Gujarat):
Axar Patel has turned out to be a known figure for fans of Indian cricket throughout the globe. While the young all-rounder is known for his capabilities with the bat and ball for the national side, his recent performances in SMAT 2024 proved why he can be equally effective for DC in the upcoming IPL season. Patel showed exemplary skills as a leader as he was given the captaincy for his domestic side, Gujarat. Under his leadership, Gujarat fared well in SMAT 2024 winning five of their six group stage matches. Patel was effective with the bat, scoring a tumultuous half-century off just 18 balls against Karnataka. With the ball, he has been equally impressive taking five wickets for his domestic side.
Also Read: IPL 2025: 7 SRH players who made a strong impact in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024
- Karun Nair (Vidarbha):
Karun Nair has been one the highest run-scorers for his domestic team, Vidarbha in SMAT 2024. Most notably, the 33-year-old scored 77 runs off 39 balls and 75 runs off 47 balls with four towering sixes against Assam. With these performances, Nair can be an impactful player for his IPL franchise and can prove instrumental when the squad needs runs on the board.
- Ajay Mandal (Chhatisgarh):
Ajay Mandal has the potential to be a true value addition to the DC squad with his all-round capabilities. Mandal has proved his worth as a pacer for his domestic side, Chhattisgarh. He took 7 wickets throughout the tournament with a power-packed performance against Assam taking 5 wickets and giving just 10 runs in his 4-over spell. This shows that Mandal can wreak havoc with his lethal deliveries on any given day.
- Darshan Nalkande (Vidarbha):
Darshan Nalkande has been in the talking points of cricket lovers for some time now. However, his recent performance for Vidarbha in SMAT 2024 made him an outright favourite of being a part of the DC pace-attack in the upcoming season. Nalkande was the leading wicket-taker for Vidarbha taking 12 wickets in 6 matches with a 3-wicket haul against Odisha, Puducherry and Chhattisgarh respectively.
Also Read: 3 players who can captain Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2025
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