SMAT 2022: Ajinkya Rahane to lead Mumbai in knockout stages
Veteran Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane will lead Mumbai in the knockout stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The knockouts will start from October 30 and the quarter-final matches will be held in Kolkata. The SMAT 2022 final will be played on November 5. Earlier, Mumbai finished atop Elite Group A, finishing with 27 points from seven matches. Here's more.
Mumbai Squad for SMAT knockouts
Here's Mumbai's squad: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Hardik Tamore (wk), Pariksshit Vallsangkar, Royston Dias, Tushar Deshpande, Aman Khan, Sairaj Patil, Mohit Awasthi
A look at the top performers for Mumbai
Young dashing opener Prithvi Shaw is the top-scorer for Mumbai in the tourney. He has piled up 285 runs from seven games at 47.50. Shaw has slammed one hundred and a fifty. Yashasvi Jaiswal has done a reasonable job, scoring 214 runs at 42.80. With the ball, Tushar Deshpande has claimed 12 scalps at 13.66. Shams Mulani has also picked 12 scalps at 15.00.
How has Rahane performed?
Rahane hasn't got going so far, having fetched scores of 9, 30*, 0, 12, and 34 respectively. He will be needed for Mumbai in the knockouts. A senior figure in the side, Rahane will hope to make things count in what is a crucial phase.
Shreyas Iyer will need to make his presence felt
Shreyas Iyer's presence can be a boost for Mumbai. He is an experienced campaigner and bolsters a star-studded batting line-up. However, he joined the side for their last three league games and managed paltry scores of 3, 8, and 15. He needs to step up.
Key details about the knockout stages
Punjab will face Haryana in the pre-quarter-finals on October 30 at the Eden Gardens. Vidarbha and Chattisgarh will play the other pre-quarter-final match. Kerala will also be involved in the pre-quarter-final. Meanwhile, teams like Himachal Pradesh, Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, and Mumbai are already in the quarters. Semi-final games will be played on November 3, with the final on November 5.
