SMAT 2025: Shardul Advocates Evening Match Rescheduling for Fair Play Amidst Dew Challenges

In light of the dew influencing evening matches at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Super League, Mumbai’s captain, Shardul Thakur, proposed adjusting the timing of these games to ensure fairness for the teams. Currently, the evening games kick off at 4:30 p.m., and Shardul pointed out that as dew forms, the toss becomes decisive, giving the team that bowls first a potential advantage. He emphasized the need to address this issue.

“The timings are somewhat unusual,” Shardul mentioned. “The venue has been utilized previously, resulting in numerous used pitches. They water and roll them again, which leads to damp conditions during morning games, but these conditions stabilize. In evening games, the team bowling first faces dry conditions, which suddenly change due to the dew, making the toss a significant factor,” Shardul explained to Sportstar.

He suggested starting night games a bit later, allowing both teams the opportunity to either benefit from or deal with dew conditions. Similarly, morning games could begin later to allow the pitches to receive some sunlight and dry out, offering both teams those dry playing conditions. This consideration is essential for the long term, according to him.

Mumbai’s quest to defend their title was hindered by a nine-wicket loss to Hyderabad, a setback Shardul attributed to losing wickets at critical times.

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Reflecting on the game, Shardul remarked, “We need to bat with a bit more savvy. We had a strong start, but losing (Yashasvi) Jaiswal on the last ball of the Powerplay was a setback we could have avoided, especially since we reached our target in the Powerplay.” He noted that Mumbai was at 52 for 2 in 5.5 overs before Jaiswal was leg-before, marking a pivotal moment in the match.

“The pitch began very dry. I believe we focused too much on singles and dot balls until the 14th over and only attempted to accelerate after that. A better approach and smarter play would have helped us,” he concluded.

Mumbai is slated to face Haryana in their second Super League match on Sunday morning.

Published on December 12, 2025