The fifth round of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 was played on Thursday, and the biggest shock from this series of fixtures was Kerala triumph over Mumbai.
The defending champions much-hyped batting order suffered a late collapse and could not chase down 179 runs against the Sanju Samson-led Kerala.
Elsewhere, in Group D, Ayush Badoni first struck a half-century and then picked a four-wicket haul to get Delhi a massive win over Karnataka. Riyan Parag’s poor run continued in SMAT as he scored just five runs in Assam’s win over Vidarbha.
Here is how Team India’s stars performed in the fifth round on Thursday:
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya bowled his full quota of four overs against Gujarat and gave away just 16 runs. He also picked the crucial wicket of pinch-hitter Urvil Patel at the top of the order. Gujarat was bundled out for just 73 runs, and Hardik scored 10 off six in the chase as Baroda eased to an eight-wicket win.
Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma handed a rollicking start to Punjab at the top against Pondicherry, hitting 34 runs off just nine balls.
He was then menacing with his left-arm orthodox and claimed three wickets for just 23 runs. Punjab won the contest by 54 runs after scoring 192.
Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson’s 46 off 28 at the top of the order against Mumbai was laden with confident shots off his back foot. He also affected the stumping of Shivam Dube in the second innings.
Samson’s captaincy was also impressive as he orchestrated a stranglehold over Mumbai in his team’s 15-run win.
Suryakumar Yadav
The occasion was set for Suryakumar Yadav to play a decisive hand against Kerala but he faltered. Mumbai seemed to be cruising with Ajinkya Rahane and Sarfaraz Khan adding 80 runs for the second wicket. But a flurry of wickets snatched the momentum.
Suryakumar could have steered his side home but fell to K.M. Asif while looking to attack. He managed 32 off 25 with four fours.
B Sai Sudharsan
Sai Sudharsan could not turn his lean run in the SMAT this year. He added just five runs off seven balls as Tamil Nadu slumped to 26 for four. Sai Sudharsan and Jagadeesan eventually rescued their side with massive fifth-wicket stand.
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami was finally back at his firing best after a string of lacklustre performances.. He picked four for 13 against Services, including a wicket off the first ball of the match.
His effort reduced Services to just 165. In reply, Abishek Porel led Bengal to a seven-wicket win with his 56 off 29 balls.
Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh notched up a quickfire 24 runs off just 10 balls, which guided UP to 212 against Chandigarh. Madhav Kaushik was the best batter for UP with 70 off just 42 balls. UP won the match by 40 runs.
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