Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20: Dream Team of the Tournament

Manish Pandey to lead the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy dream Team of the tournament. 

The build-up tournament to IPL 2020, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 has completed yet another successful year with Karnataka emerging as the champions. The final felt like Deja Vu of the Vijay Hazare Trophy final with Karnataka bettering their neighbors, Tamil Nadu yet another time. 

Nevertheless, with the IPL 2020 Auction scheduled on December 19, many franchises were keeping an eye on the performances of the players in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So, which players impressed the most, and who makes the cut for our 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Team of the Tournament? Let’s find out in this article. 

As usual, to remove the biases and perception, we would be sticking to our unique methodology of performance points to find the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20, team of the tournament.

Also, please note, the team combination has been decided based on the following criteria

• 2 openers, 3 middle-order players, 2 all-rounders, and 4 bowlers.
• A player must have played a minimum of 6 innings.

OPENERS

#1 Devdutt Padikkal | Karnataka

Inns: 12 | Runs: 580 | Avg: 64.4 | SR: 175.8

After creating a buzz in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Devdutt Padikkal has bettered his form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with some astonishing hitting and consistency.

He is the leading run-scorer of the tournament with astonishing 580 runs from just 12 innings at an average of 64.4, and a strike rate of 175.8. He has hit 59 fours and 33 sixes; the most in the tournament. Also, his Strike Rate of 175.8 is the highest of the tournament.  

Considering the form he is in, it won’t be surprising if he gets to open for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and flourish under the leadership of Virat Kohli.

#2 Harshal Patel | Haryana 

Inns: 12 | Runs: 374 | Wkts: 19

Haryana’s best player, and our second free-flowing opener, Harshal Patel has impressed everyone with some amazing all-round performance throughout the tournament. With 374 runs and 19 wickets, he could well be the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.

Not just he surprised everyone by opening the batting for Haryana, he went on to become the fourth-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 374 runs. On top of it, he is the joint-second highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 19 wickets. 

MIDDLE-ORDER

#3 KL Rahul (WK) | Karnataka

Inns: 8 | Runs: 313 | Avg: 52.2 | SR: 155.7

KL Rahul played just 8 matches owing to his International duties, but didn’t fail to impress with his performance. He scored a total of 313 runs at an average of 52.2, and a strike rate of 155.7.

While he couldn’t deliver in the final, he still struck three awesome fifties including a superb 84(48) against Punjab where he single-handedly helped Karnataka win the match. He is also the wicket-keeper of the team.  

#4 Harpreet Singh | Chhattisgarh 

Inns: 7 | Runs: 329 | Avg: 65.8 | SR: 146.2 

Chhattisgarh’s best batsman, Harpreet Singh had a wonderful tournament with the bat. Being the Captain of the side, Harpreet Singh single-handedly helped his side with 3 wins.

While this was not enough to get to Super League, he impressed with his superb knocks of 83, 88, and 62 against Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Hyderabad respectively. 

#5 Manish Pandey (C) | Karnataka 

Inns: 8 | Runs: 314 | Avg: 78.5 | SR: 164.4

Series after series after series, Manish Pandey just keeps on giving some stunning performances at the Domestic level. He started the tournament with a bang by playing the best knock of the tournament, and ended the tournament with a bang. 

Overall, Manish Pandey played just 8 innings, but impressed by scoring 314 runs at an impressive average of 78.5, and a strike rate of 164.4. He is also the captain of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20 team of the tournament having led Karnataka to yet another series victory. 

#6 Suryakumar Yadav | Mumbai

Inns: 10 | Runs: 392 | Avg: 56 | SR: 169

In the star-studded batting line-up of Mumbai, the Captain of Mumbai, Suryakumar Yadav never fails to impress. His ability to construct the innings is highly commendable so is the ability to accelerate at ease.

Overall, he managed to score 392 runs from 10 innings at an average of 56, and a strike rate of 168.9, which is quite stunning. He is the only player from the star-studded Mumbai line-up to represent the best 11 of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20.

#7 Washington Sundar | Tamil Nadu

Inns: 9 | Runs: 271 | Wkts: 6

Our second all-rounder, Washington Sundar impressed with his batting more than his bowling in the tournament.

Coming in to bat at number 3 for most of the matches, Washington Sundar scored a total of 271 runs at a strike rate of 128.4. On top of it, Sundar took 6 wickets as a bowler, which makes him the potential all-round candidate. 

BOWLERS

#8 Shreyas Gopal | Karnataka

Inns: 12 | Wkts: 19 | Avg: 14.9 | ER: 6.8

The joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, Shreyas Gopal has carried on his good form to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy too.

The man who has often troubled the likes of Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers in the IPL managed to take a total of 19 wickets from 12 innings at an average of 14.9. His most impressive performance came against Services where he bowled an impressive match-winning spell of 5/19.  

#9 Darshan Nalkande | Vidarbha

Inns: 6 | Wkts: 16 | Avg: 9.9 | ER: 7.3

Probably the most effective bowler of the tournament, the 21-year-old pacer from Vidarbha, Darshan Nalkande took an unbelievable 16 wickets from just 6 innings at a stunning average of 9.9; second-best of the tournament.

He is the only bowler to have maintained a consistency of 100% with good performances in all the matches. His spell of 5/18 against Uttar Pradesh is one of the best spells of the Tournament. Being a decent batsman too, watch out for this exciting prospect in IPL 2020 where he plays for KXIP. 

#10 Lukman Meriwala | Baroda

Inns: 7 | Wkts: 16 | Avg: 10.7 | ER: 6.3

Our second pacer, Lukman Meriwala brought life to Baroda’s pace department with his impressive performances. We hope he could have played all the matches for Baroda. Because, in the 7 matches he played, he created havoc by taking 16 wickets at an average of 10.7, and an economy rate of just 6.3. His average of 10.7 is the third-best of the tournament. 

Lukman Meriwala may not be a known entity in Domestic Cricket, but his performance could certainly raise a few eyebrows. His performance comes at a time when franchises are gearing for the IPL 2020 Auction. Watch out for him at the IPL 2020 Auction. 

#11 R Sai Kishore | Tamil Nadu

Inns: 12 | Wkts: 20 | Avg: 10.4 | ER: 4.6

The leading wicket-taker of the tournament and the most economical bowler of the tournament, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore is our final player of the team. The slow left-arm orthodox, R Sai Kishore managed to create a name for itself in the spin line-up that had the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin, Washington Sundar, and M Siddharth.

Overall, R Sai Kishore took a total of 20 wickets from just 12 innings at an average of 13.4. He achieved this feat at an economy rate of just 4.6; the lowest in the tournament. With franchises looking to ramp-up their spin arsenal, R Sai Kishore could be the player to watch out for.

#12th Man: Ruturaj Gaikwad | Maharashtra

Inns: 11 | Runs: 419 | Avg: 41.9 | SR: 146.5

The Maharashtra opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been creating a lot of buzz in Domestic Cricket. In fact, he is one of the prime aspirants for the National side alongside the likes of Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, etc.

Ruturaj Gaikwad finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament with a total of 419 runs from 11 innings. Such has been his performance that the second-highest run-scorer for Maharashtra, Kedar Jadhav has almost half the runs Ruturaj Gaikwad scored.  

2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Team of the Tournament: 

Devdutt Padikkal, Harshal Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Manish Pandey (C), Harpreet Singh, Suryakumar Yadav, Washington Sundar,  Shreyas Gopal, Darshan Nalkande, Lukman Meriwala, R Sai Kishore, Ruturaj Gaikwad (12th).

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