How every Indian player retained by CSK and MI fared in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Mumbai Indians

Ishan Kishan - 142 runs in 5 innings @ average 28.40 and SR 125.66

Rahul Chahar - 11 wickets in 5 innings @ ER 6.55

Chahar jr. enjoyed an outstanding, Rashid Khan-esque campaign, having no off games in the entire tournament. His campaign hit its zenith in the game against Madhya Pradesh, where an impeccable five-wicket haul helped Rajasthan pull off an unlikely heist. Being selected as a ‘standy player’ for team India meant that he, unfortunately, did not have the opportunity to play in the knockouts. 

The untimely, tragic demise of his father meant that Krunal Pandya had to quit SMAT 2021 midway, but the veteran impressed in the limited matches he played. Pandya Sr. was disciplined with the ball and produced a match-winning inning with the bat - 76 versus Uttarakhand - in the three games he played and maintained a 100% win record as captain to lay the platform for Baroda. 

Dhawal Kulkarni -  0 wickets in 4 innings @ ER 7.84

Aditya Tare - 56 runs in 4 innings @ average 14.00 and SR 112.0

In the absence of other senior batsmen, Aditya Tare failed to live up to expectations. Barring a brisk 42 versus Kerala, the 33-year-old registered three single-digit scores, contributing to Mumbai’s miserable campaign. 

A match-winning 57 versus Assam in Jharkhand’s second game was the highlight of Saurbh Tiwary’s season, but, beyond that innings, the southpaw was a disappointment. He failed to cross 20 in each of the three other innings and, worse, struck at less than run-a-ball.

Jayant Yadav -  7 wickets in 6 innings @ ER 6.14

Anukul Roy - 1 wickets in 5 innings @ ER 8.76; 57 runs in 4 innings @ average 28.50 and SR 150.00

The boy with the golden arm did not quite weave his magic with the ball in SMAT 2020/21 but showcased his three-dimensionality in the game against Hyderabad, where he struck a 13-ball 28* to help Jharkhand tie the game from a hopeless position. 

Not many youngsters skyrocketed their stocks in SMAT 2021, but one such was Mohsin Khan. Representing Uttar Pradesh, the young left-arm seamer impressed, bowling alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar, picking at least a wicket in each of the three games he played. Mohsin’s standout performance came against J&K, where he returned figures of 2/17 in a game where the other U.P bowlers leaked 103 runs off 11 overs. 

Anmolpreet Singh - 66 runs in 4 innings @ average 22.00 and SR 117.85

Chennai Super Kings

Suresh Raina - 102 runs in 5 innings @ average 34.00 and SR 115.90

Ambati Rayudu - 115 runs in 5 innings @ average 38.33 and SR 155.40

After a poor start to the season, posting scores of 13 and 1 in his first two games, Rayudu found his hands midway through SMAT 2020/21 and finished the season strongly. The right-hander played two bludgeoning cameos towards the back end - 62*(26) vs Puducherry and 38*(27) vs Kerala - and showcased the vintage hitting ability of his. It was, however, unfortunately not enough to rescue the sinking ship that was Andhra. 

The second-highest run-getter from the 2019/20 SMAT turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the 2020/21 edition. Coming on the back of a mind-bogglingly good stretch in the IPL, Gaikwad played no knocks of significance, finishing with a high score of 33, which too came off 31 deliveries. Gaikwad’s no-show contributed to Maharashtra finishing second-to-bottom in their group, below Uttarakhand. 

Deepak Chahar - 4 wickets in 4 innings @ ER 7.41

N Jagadeesan - 364 runs in 8 innings @ average 72.80 and SR 141.08

Having dominated the TNPL for years, Narayan Jagadeesan announced himself to the big stage with a stunning showing in SMAT 2020/21. Opening the batting, Jagadeesan finished as the tournament’s highest run-getter, and in the process equalled the record for the most consecutive fifty-plus scores in the competition’s history (4). Though he fizzled out in the knockouts, Jagadeesan was mighty impressive in the group stages, where he architected four consecutive chases (78*, 61, 78* and 71*). With this performance, the 25-year-old is now a front-runner to open for CSK in IPL 2021. 

For the second season running, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore produced performances worthy of deeming him the best up-and-coming young spinner in the country. Though he did not enjoy a season as prolific as 2019/20, Sai Kishore, taking the new ball, laid the foundation for TN in every single game. He peaked in the knockouts, particularly in the semis and the finals, where he returned ludicrous combined figures of 8-1-27-2. It would certainly beggar belief should he not get his first IPL cap in the forthcoming season. 

Karn Sharma - 4 wickets in 3 innings @ ER 5.58; 46 runs in 2 innings @ average 23.00 and SR 143.75

KM Asif - 6 wickets in 5 innings @ ER 8.64

Despite not being thrown the new ball, KM Asif turned out to be the pick of the Kerala seamers in SMAT 2020/21, and the team’s second best bowler, behind Jalaj Saxena. Used predominantly at the middle and the death, Asif’s best night came against Mumbai at the Wankhede, where he finished with figures of 3/25 in a match which saw every other bowler across both teams concede over 7.50. The right-armer was pacy and skiddy as ever, and finished with the best ER among all Kerala pacers.

Robin Uthappa’s trade to CSK was received with a collective sigh of disappointment from the fans, but in SMAT 2020/21 the veteran gave the Yellow Army reasons to remain optimistic about his arrival. Though his season ended in a disappointing note, there were shades of Vintage Robbie in the 35-year-old’s first three games of the season. Across the first 3 matches, Uthappa struck 154 runs, the highlight of which was a startling 54-ball 91 versus Delhi, in which Kerala chased down 213 in 19 overs. Uthappa might be a player past his peak, but, in SMAT 2020/21, he showed there is enough cricket left in him to affect games of cricket.