Rahane’s Brilliance Guides Mumbai to Dominant Start in SMAT 2025-26

Ajinkya Rahane delivered an impressive performance, scoring 62 off 33 balls, including four boundaries and five sixes, leading a star-studded Mumbai team to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Railways. This marked a strong start to Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title defense at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Known for his conventional style, Rahane switched to an aggressive mode, hitting four sixes early in Mumbai’s pursuit of 159 runs. Dominating the leg side with skillful pull and pick-up shots, his standout moment was a six over long-off against pacer Atal Bihari Rai. Although he fell hit-wicket trying a paddle sweep against Railways captain Karn Sharma, Rahane had already impressed with a six over deep midwicket and a cutting four behind point.

India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, contributed 47 off 30 balls, ensuring the chase remained on track, while Shivam Dube sealed the victory with a boundary.

Prior to Mumbai’s chase, Ashutosh Sharma’s explosive innings revived Railways. He scored 61 runs, heavily punishing left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar for 36 runs with powerful pulls and lofted shots over cover. His half-century from 25 balls, featuring aggressive use of the crease, helped Railways to a total of 158 for five.

Mohammad Saif provided valuable support with a composed 48, forming a crucial 49-run partnership with Ashutosh. Despite their efforts, the disciplined bowling of Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande, who delivered two consecutive maiden overs and maintained pressure, made Railways’ total inadequate.

In a different game at Ekana Cricket Stadium B, Kerala effortlessly chased down Odisha’s target of 177, aided by an unbroken opening stand between Sanju Samson and Rohan Kunnummal. Kunnummal, taking the lead, reached a scintillating T20 century, while Samson played a supportive role, eventually hitting a six to complete his half-century and secure a 10-wicket win.

Brief Scores (Group A)

• Railways: 158/5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Saif 48, Ashutosh Sharma 61) lost to Mumbai: 159/3 in 15.5 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 62, Suryakumar Yadav 47). Toss: Mumbai.
• Odisha: 176/7 in 20 overs (Biplab Samantaray 53, Sambit Baral 40, M.D. Nidheesh 4/35) lost to Kerala: 177/0 in 16.3 overs (Sanju Samson 51 n.o., Rohan Kunnummal 121 n.o.). Toss: Kerala.
• Chhattisgarh: 133/9 in 20 overs (Ayush Pandey 31, Shashank Singh 34, Yash Thakur 3/25) beat Vidarbha: 106 in 19.1 overs (Sourabh Majumdar 3/23). Toss: Vidarbha.
• Andhra: 143/9 in 20 overs (Ricky Bhui 46, Mukhtar Hussain 4/20) beat Assam: 114 in 19.4 overs (Pradyun Saikia 44, S. Raju 3/20). Toss: Assam.

Published on Nov 26, 2025