In what proved to be one of the most closely contested group stages in the competition’s history, an astonishing 19 teams finished with 12 or more points, as qualification went right down to the wire with more than half the quarter-finalists being decided on the very final day of the group stages. Eventually, Gujarat, Mumbai, Saurashtra, Andhra, Karnataka, UP and Kerala turned out to be the lucky sides, but it was not just the dog-fight between the teams that made the group stages riveting.

Gujarat, Mumbai, Saurashtra, Andhra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala have directly qualified. Delhi will play Uttarakhand in a one-off eliminator game, the winner of which will progress to the next round as the eighth and last quarter-finalist.

The teams were split into five Elite Groups and 1 plate group, so the qualification rules were as follows:

1) Each of the five toppers progresses directly to the quarter-finals

3) The fourth-best team (apart from the group toppers) will lock horns with the winner of the plate group in a one-off knockout match for a birth in the quarter-finals.

Gujarat, Mumbai, Saurashtra, Andhra, and Karnataka all progressed directly by the virtue of finishing top of their respective groups, while Kerala and Uttar Pradesh qualified due to being the second and third best teams (outside of the group toppers). Delhi were the fourth-best team, so they will now take on the toppers of the Plate Group, Uttarakhand, on Sunday, March 7.  

Mumbai. After crashing out in the group stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the star-studded domestic giants turned their fortunes around in the most emphatic fashion imaginable. They won each of their five group games and remarkably finished with an NRR of +2.603, the best for any side outside of the plate. Shades of the good ol’ invincible Bambaiya side. 

Who were the worst side in the group stages?

Which well-known teams ended up disappointing? 

Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Bengal. Much was expected from the DK-led TN side - 2019/20 finalists and SMAT 2021 champions - yet they kept fixing things that were not broken and that ultimately resulted in their demise. They won just 3 games, and even a mauling of Vidarbha on the final day wasn’t enough to ensure qualification. 

Who was the highest run-getter in the group stages?

With 572 runs in 5 innings at a ludicrous average of 190.66 and an SR of 97.77, Devdutt Padikkal ended the group stages as the highest run-getter - and by some distance. Only once he FAILED to pass the 90-run mark - fifty-plus scores in all five matches - and he ended the group stages with scores of 152, 126* and 145*. Padikkal now needs 152 more runs to break the record for the most runs scored in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy season, which was set by Mayank Agarwal (723 runs) three years ago. 

Of course, Devdutt Padikkal. As attested above, he finished the group stages off with three consecutive tons - almost four, was dismissed on 97 versus Bihar - and is now just one ton away from equalling the record for the most tons notched up in a single Vijay Hazare season. The current record holder? You guessed it right - Virat Kohli. 

Which player struck the highest individual score?

Were there any other memorable individual knocks?

Indeed. Madhya Pradesh's Venkatesh Iyer, on Sunday, came agonizingly close to becoming the second double-centurion of the season but was heart-shatteringly run out on 198. He blazed a full-strength Punjab attack, taking the likes of Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, and Markande for 20 fours and 7 sixes, and looked on course to even break Shaw’s 227* before falling two short of a maiden double-ton. 

Who hit the most number of sixes?

Yep, there’s a surprise in store here. With 23 sixes to his name, Robin Uthappa hit more sixes than any other batsman in the group stages. To be precise, Uthappa hit five more sixes than any other batsman in the competition. The ‘Robbie’ that turned up in the group stages was unlike any other Robbie in the past decade - brutal, aggressive and carefree - and he, arguably, had the biggest impact of any batsman in the competition. Yep, even more than Padikkal. CSK have really landed jackpot. 

None other than Suryakumar Yadav. Mumbai’s top-order firing meant that SKY did not get the opportunity to pile on the runs, but boy he more than made up for it with some destructive hitting. His 332 runs came at a stupendous SR of 151.59 and it turned out to be, by far, the best of any batsman who piled on at least 150 runs. SKY also averaged 66.40 and struck a 50-ball ton which incidentally came in the same game as Shaw’s double ton.

Who took the most number of wickets?

Who finished with the best bowling figures?

Shivam Sharma. Again. No bowler was able to match young Shivam’s figures of 7/31 versus Bihar but this is not the mind-numbing part. He also held the third-best figures in the competition - 6/22 which came in U.P’s do-or-die game versus Uttar Pradesh. 

Mumbai’s 457/4 versus Puducherry turned out to be the highest total posted in the group stages. Not just that, it was also the highest ever total in Vijay Hazare Trophy history, and the fourth highest in List A cricket history. Shaw’s double century coupled with SKY’s 50-ball ton propelled Mumbai to the monster score, which helped them register a thumping 233-run victory.  

Which team posted the lowest total?