Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Top two from South fight for bragging rights

BENGALURU:  In the last three editions of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have reigned supreme like no other. The former has clinched the title twice while the latter took home the trophy last season and finished runners up two seasons ago to Karnataka. Their dominance has continued this ongoing season, with both teams set for the ‘Southern Derby’ final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday.

Reaching three finals in the last four years is a tremendous achievement for both teams. What makes it even more significant is the unpredictability of the format. So where does their success lie? It is their domestic structure. Besides the presence of opportunities in state T20 competitions, their franchise based leagues laid the foundations of a strong base and bench strength. If the Karnataka Premier League has hosted seven editions, the Tamil Nadu Premier League concluded its fifth season in August.

“It is probably with the T20 tournaments what we play in Karnataka, and also the KPL (last took shape in 2018-19). The same can be said for Tamil Nadu with their TNPL and their cricket. It has surely helped both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in terms of how to go about their game in the T20 format,” said Karnataka head coach Yere Goud.

Both teams enter the final with solid cricket behind their belt with just one loss in the competition. In fact, Tamil Nadu, who won the title in the 2006-07 season too, have been brilliant with dominant wins over Kerala and Hyderabad. It is their all-round team effort. The likes of Vijay Shankar, C Hari Nishaanth and Sai Sudarshan have shared responsibility in the batting department while R Sai Kishore and Saravana Kumar have  impressed with the ball too.

However, Tamil Nadu coach Venkataramana does not consider the title-decider to be an additional pressure.  “I will not say that the final brings additional pressure. We had this pressure right from Day 1. We entered this competition as defending champions. What we have been doing regularly, we need to do that, get the basics right, it is just another game. I am sure the boys will be coping up to that final day to express themselves,” the TN coach said. 

Final Live on Star Sports from 12 PM