Out-of-favour India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan made a strong case for a T20I recall with a commanding hundred, leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title with a 69-run victory over Haryana on Thursday.
Kishan went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 10 maximums en route to an exhilarating 49-ball 101, as Jharkhand amassed an imposing 262 for 3.
Jharkhand’s bowlers, led by medium-pacer Anukul Roy, then struck twice in his opening over. The team applied consistent pressure with regular wickets, eventually bowling out Haryana for 193, despite a fighting half-century from wicketkeeper-batter Yashvardhan Dalal (53).
Roy also contributed with a quickfire 20-ball 40.
With this victory, Jharkhand became the 12th state to win the country’s
premier T20 domestic tournament.
That winning feeling! 🥳
Time for celebration in the Jharkhand camp as they win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time 🙌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/3fGWDCTjoo#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/qJB0b2oS0Y
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 18, 2025
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 Final: Haryana Vs Jharkhand – Highlights
Invited to bat first, Jharkhand’s skipper stitched a decisive 177-run partnership for the second wicket with Kumar Kushagra, who played a supportive role with a rapid 81 off 38 deliveries, maintaining pressure on Haryana’s bowlers.
This century was Kishan’s second of the tournament. The 27-year-old has been in scintillating form throughout the competition, topping the run charts with 517 runs from 10 innings at a striking rate of 197.32.
Kishan treated the Haryana attack with complete disdain, also striking eight fours, and brought up his hundred with a stylish one-handed six over extra cover.
He was eventually clean bowled by Sumit Kumar in the 15th over, with Kushagra departing in the following over.
Late cameos from Anukul and Robin Minz (31 off 14) ensured Jharkhand finished on a high, posting a total that proved well beyond Haryana’s reach.
Haryana’s batters needed to go all out to chase the daunting target, but their innings started disastrously, losing skipper Ankit Kumar (0) and Ashish Siwach (0) in quick succession, slumping to 2/1.
Wicketkeeper-batter Dalal attempted to stabilise the innings, first adding 34 runs with opener Arsh Ranga (17) and then forging a 67-run partnership with Nishant Sindhu (31).
However, Anukul turned the match decisively in Jharkhand’s favour by removing both set batters in the same over, derailing Haryana’s chase.
SMAT 2025 Final Brief Score:
Jharkhand 262/3 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 101, Kumar Kushagra 89; Sumit Kumar 1/41)
Haryana 193 all out in 18.3 overs (Yashvardhan Dalal 53, Samant Jakhar 38; Sushant Mishra 3/21)
(With inputs from Agencies)
