Mini IPL before IPL 2021- Big IPL stars to play in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy: The upcoming edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy is set to begin on January 10, sparking a wave of excitement amongst fans from all corners of India and it can be considered mini IPL before IPL 2021. The tournament assumes importance as first of all first domestic event post-Covid-19 and secondly big IPL stars presence in the tournament will make it a mini-IPL before IPL 2021.
The tournament’s significance will further increase as IPL 2021 mini-auction will be slated right after the tournament. Along with the players and fans, IPL franchises will also keep a close eye on players doing well in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy. The big performers in the tournament can be handed IPL contracts by IPL franchises.
On the other hand, many big names will feature in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy this time. Reason, this is the only tournament from which they hope to get some good practice ahead of IPL 2021. Here are some of the big names taking part in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy.
- Dinesh Karthik (KKR)
- Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians)
- Suresh Raina (CSK)
- Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals)
- Robin Uthappa (Rajasthan Royals)
- Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals)
- Ambati Rayudu (CSK)
- Vijay Shankar (Sunrisers)
- Ishant Sharma (Delhi Capitals)
- Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians)
- Nitish Rana (KKR)
- Shivam Dube (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
- Tushar Deshpande (Delhi Capitals)
- Dhawal Kulkarni
- Saurabh Tiwary (Mumbai Indians)
- Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals)
- Varun Aaron (Rajasthan Royals)
- Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals)
- Sarfaraz Khan (KingsXI)
Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy Schedule, groupings and venue
2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is scheduled to start on 10 January 2021, with the final on 31 January 2021. Karnataka are the defending champions. Bangalore, Kolkata, Vadodara, Indore, Mumbai and Chennai have been chosen as the six venues which will stage the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in a bio-secure bubble.
The Groupings:
Elite A: Venue Bangalore
Teams: Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Railways and Tripura.
Elite B: Venue Kolkata
Teams: Odisha, Bengal, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Hyderabad.
Elite C: Venue Vadodara
Teams: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Baroda and Uttarakhand.
Elite D: Venue Indore
Teams: Services, Saurashtra, Vidarbha, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.
Elite E: Venue Mumbai
Teams: Haryana, Andhra, Delhi, Mumbai, Kerala and Puducherry.
Plate: Venue Chennai
Teams: Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
MS Dhoni won’t play in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy
As per reports, former India captain MS Dhoni won’t come out of retirement to play in the forthcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021. his means like IPL 2020 – Dhoni will enter IPL 2021 as well without any match practice.
Suresh Raina to play in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021
Meanwhile, unlike Dhoni, his former CSK teammate Suresh Raina has decided to come out of the retirement and play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021. Raina, who missed IPL 2020 due to personal reasons, announced on social media last week that he will be playing representing Uttar Pradesh in the tournament.
Notably, Raina hasn’t played competitive cricket for the past one year but he has been training hard in the gym and keeping himself fit for the upcoming domestic season in India.
Yuvraj Singh, Sreesanth named in probable squads for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
World-cup winning former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh is set to come out of retirement and play domestic cricket again after being named in Punjab’s 30-strong list of probables for next month’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
Yuvraj, the star of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning campaign, had announced his retirement last June but he decided to resume playing for his home state after being approached by Punjab Cricket Association secretary Puneet Bali.
Yuvraj had participated in the Global T20 league in Canada after his retirement.
Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth Tuesday moved closer to a return to competitive cricket after being named in a 26-strong probables list by Kerala for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.
The 37-year-old Sreesanth, who was banned by the BCCI over his alleged involvement in spot-fixing in the IPL, features alongside Sanju Samson, Sachin Baby, Jalaj Saxena, Robin Uthappa and Basil Thampi among others.
His ban ended in September this year.
The pacer, who last represented India in 2011, will take part in a preparatory camp to be held here from December 20 to 30, sources said.