At Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday, November 29, Kerala faced Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2024) Group E match. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Mumbai was thoroughly thrashed by middle order batsman Salman Nizar and top order batsman Rohan Kunnummal.
Salman continued the assault even after Rohan left with an incredible 87 off 48 balls. He was not purchased in the just-completed IPL 2025 super auction. Before Rohan left, the two forged a tremendous 140-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Salman’s spectacular performance, which included five boundaries and eight soaring maximums, kept him undefeated at 99* off just 49 balls.
With a remarkable strike rate of 202.04 while batting, Salman Nizar helped Kerala defeat the formidable Mumbai by amassing an enormous 234/5. He was also among the players who lodged a complaint with the Kerala State Cricket Association (KSCA) in 2018 against Sachin Baby’s leadership, for those who are unaware.
But just as Kerala’s clinical onslaught with the ball defeated the Shreyas Iyer-led team, so did their poor bowling. No batter reached the 30-run mark except for Iyer’s 32 off 18 and Ajinkya Rahane’s 68 off 35. At the conclusion of the 20 overs, Mumbai managed 191/9, while Kerala achieved an unforgettable triumph of 43 runs. While Vinod Kumar and Abdul Basith each contributed two wickets, MD Nidheesh stole the show with four wickets for Kerala.
Check out Salman Nizar’s explosive batting here:
Final Flourish 🔥
Salman Nizar smashes 6⃣,4⃣,6⃣,6⃣ in the last over and remains unbeaten on 99*(49) as Kerala post 234/5 👏#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/5giWG6lAFG pic.twitter.com/E9UzOznB21
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 29, 2024
Kerala leaps to the second position in Group E.
After losing to Maharashtra in their lone encounter, Kerala has now won two straight games. They had defeated Mumbai for the first time in three games after defeating Nagaland by eight wickets. They have won three of their last four games, solidifying their second-place finish in Group E.
At the top of the table, however, are Andhra Pradesh, who have won three straight games. However, Mumbai has maintained a good Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.240 despite dropping to third place with this defeat. In their fourth match of the season, they will next play Nagaland.
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