Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set to lead Bihar in Elite Group B of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Matches take place across five venues in Kolkata, Mumbai, Mohali, Indore, and Sovima in Nagaland. The competition includes teams split into four Elite groups alongside six sides in the Plate Group.
The tournament serves as a final opportunity for cricketers to impress talent scouts ahead of the IPL mini-auction scheduled for December 16 in Goa. Established international figures including T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav and recently retired Test pacer Mohammed Shami are participating to revive their white-ball ambitions.
Prithvi Shaw leads Maharashtra to remind selectors and his franchise of his ability after being signed by Delhi Capitals last season without getting a game. Prashant Veer, an allrounder from Uttar Pradesh and formerly fetched by Chennai Super Kings at the previous auction for Rs 14.2 crore as a costly uncapped selection, also starts the event facing intense observation.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stands out as a major tournament attraction, stepping up to captain Bihar in their opening two matches before his departure to join India A for the ACC Rising Stars tournament.
On November 14 in Indore, as Sooryavanshi leads his team out for the toss in Bihar’s opening match against Saurashtra, he will set a record as the youngest person to ever captain a T20 team. The teenager previously established himself by becoming the youngest centurion in SMAT history through an unbeaten knock of 108 runs from 61 deliveries against Maharashtra during the previous season.
Saurashtra boasts the experience of Jaydev Unadkat. Delhi enters the season under the leadership of Ayush Badoni, supported by a formidable pace-bowling battery featuring Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Ishant Sharma, and Simarjeet Singh.
Badoni enters the fixtures with strong recent form, while the omission of former captain Nitish Rana serves as a talking point. Punjab arrives with Salil Arora bringing strong scoring form alongside Umesh Yadav making his first SMAT appearance for the State, joining 2023-24 champions Punjab alongside 2017-18 winners Delhi.
Tamil Nadu’s campaign features spinner Varun looking to unleash his bag of tricks, supported by an opening combination of Tushar Raheja and Amith Sathvik, while N. Jagadeesan aims for improved scoring intent and acceleration through the middle overs.
Andre Siddarth, aged 20, looks to prove himself after missing out on the IPL 2026 auction shortlist. Shahrukh Khan returns to form after leading Vida Kovai Kings to a third TNPL title and seeks to maintain that momentum, while Sai Kishore looks to establish himself following just three appearances for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026.
Jharkhand enters the competition as defending champions after defeating Haryana by 69 runs in the previous final at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Anukul Roy has been named captain of defending champions Jharkhand, with regular captain Ishan Kishan unavailable. Among squads pursuing their maiden championship victory, Jammu and Kashmir, Vidarbha, and Hyderabad remain sides drawing close attention.