On the opening day of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan slammed a 33-ball century after coming to bat at no.6. 

It is the Elite Group A match between Jharkhand and Karnataka in Ahmedabad, where Karnataka chose to field first after winning the toss. However, the powerful century by Jharkhand skipper Ishan Kishan resulted in a huge total for the team, as they scored 412/9 in 50 overs. 

Earlier, Virat Singh and Kumar Kushagra held the innings with a 129-run partnership for the fourth wicket. While Virat scored 88 off 68 balls with eight fours and four sixes, Kumar scored 63 off 47 balls with three fours and five sixes. 

Ishan Kishan scored 33-ball century

Captain Ishan Kishan came to bat at no.6 in the 38th over. After completing his half-century in just 20 balls, Ishan slammed his hundred in just 33 balls, as he is now holding the record of the second fastest List A century by an Indian, just behind Bihar captain Sakibul Gani's 32-ball century, which also recorded on the same day. 

Ishan Kishan scored 125 off 39 balls with seven fours and 14 sixes before getting out in the 49th over. 

Ishan Kishan just returned to national team

It was Ishan's second back-to-back century, after scoring a 45-ball hundred in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 Final against Haryana, which helped them to win their first SMAT title. While he finished the SMAT 2025-26 season as the leading run-scorer, he has been selected for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Indian squad. The left-handed batter is in very good form. 

The cricket team of Jharkhand added a new chapter in the history of Indian cricket by winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025) final, defeating Haryana. While Ishan Kishan, star Indian cricketer and the captain of the Jharkhand cricket team, remains at the centre of celebration, there are multiple unsung heroes who rewired the team. It was a collective effort of the team and also the office bearers.

Shahbaz Nadeem, joint secretary at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), reveals how former India skipper and Jharkhand's own MS Dhoni helped the team to shape a look and a polished mind-set. In a recent interview, Nadeem reveals that Dhoni was hugely involved from the outside throughout the process. Nadeem said that Dhoni had been helping them since the team was in the form of a burgeon. The former captain left his impression even during the selection of coaches.

"When we started this season and were selecting the coaches, Dhoni was very much involved in the process. "His input was always important..." Nadeem said.

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"I remember Dhoni telling me that instead of looking for fancy, high-end coaches, our desi coaches should be preferred, because they understand the sentiments of our players, their feelings, and hence, communication will be better."

MS Dhoni helped Ishan Kishan's Jharkhand to win SMAT 2025 with his inputs

Dhoni was in touch with the players as well. whether it was the women’s team or men’s or age-group teams of Jharkhand. He also interacted with the players and with the teams personally to share priceless inputs.

"He was talking to all the players, in every format – whether it was the women’s team or men’s, Under-19 or senior, or U-23. He was involved in everything. And he gave his input. He also had individual sessions with a lot of players, along with the team. He has given at least a couple of hours for each team." Nadeem added.

Associating the last four Decembers of Ishan Kishan’s career, a book can be written, as the wicket-keeper opening batter saw life unfolding in different angles during this period. Exactly a year ago in December, he went through a personal slump which saw him reading Bhagavad Gita- a conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna, where just like Arjuna, Kishan fought two battles- one against his career, and another over the uncertainty of his career.

In December 2022, Kishan smashed a fine double century off just 126 balls in Chattogram against Bangladesh, as his previous fastest 200 in a men’s ODI was 138 balls, set by the former West Indies batter Chris Gayle against Zimbabwe in Canberra during the 2015 World Cup. 

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A year later, in that same month, when he asked for a break due to mental health, it didn’t get smoothed out to the team management, coached by Rahul Dravid, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and the leadership group, which saw his national contract getting turmoiled. 

Ishan Kishan's story of four Decembers through reading Bhagavad Gita

In December 2024, he was scrolling through his mobile phone when he came across a quote from Bhagavad Gita that intrigued the talented wicket-keeper batter, which prompted him to call his father and understand its meaning. Cut to the present, Ishan led the Jharkhand side to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) with the southpaw contributing 517 runs at a strike rate of 197.12, thanks to a 51-ball century in the final against Haryana.

“The boy who always brought a smile to everyone’s face stopped smiling. As parents, my wife and I used to cry. It was a difficult phase, and it has passed. He left Patna at the age of 12 and moved to Ranchi for cricket, and people were saying he had no interest in playing for India. It was painful to see those memes.” Ishan’s father reckoned during an interaction with Times of India.

Now, he puts his entire focus on the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26, and if he can continue the same success, it won’t be long before he finds himself sharing the Indian dressing room again with a new start in 2026.

Jharkhand created history in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 by winning their first title in this T20 format after thrashing Haryana in the Final by 69 runs. In the Final, after Jharkhand slammed 262/3 in 20 overs, Haryana replied with 193 all out in 18.3 overs. 

Watch: Ishan Kishan’s special dance after winning SMAT 2025/26 for Jharkhand goes viral

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26: Key Stats

• Jharkhand won the SMAT 2025-26 Final by 69 runs against Haryana. It was the largest SMAT Final win by runs, while the previous record was winning by 41 runs by Delhi against Rajasthan in the 2018 Final. 
• Jharkhand won their first SMAT title. They became the 13th different team to win this title.
• Haryana reached the SMAT Final for the first time and finished as runners-up.
• Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan won the Player of the Match award in SMAT 2025-26 Final for scoring a match-winning century. After Suresh Raina (Uttar Pradesh, 2016) and Pradeep Sangwan (Delhi, 2018), Ishan became the third captain to win the Player of the Match award in an SMAT Final. 
• Jharkhand player Anukul Roy won the Player of the Tournament award for his brilliant all-round performances in the SMAT 2025-26, where he scored 303 runs and picked up 18 wickets. 
• With his century in the SMAT 2025-26 Final, Ishan Kishan recorded his fifth century in SMAT history, the joint record for the most SMAT centuries by equalling Abhishek Sharma's five SMAT hundreds record. 
• Punjab's 310/5 vs Bengal in the Elite Group C was the second-highest SMAT total and fourth-highest T20 total. 
• The Punjab vs Bengal Elite Group C match experienced a match aggregate total of 508 runs, which was the highest match aggregate total in SMAT history. The previous record was 474 in the Goa vs Mumbai Group E match during the 2024 edition. 
• Punjab cricketer Abhishek Sharma's 148 vs Bengal in the Elite Group C match was the second-highest score in SMAT history, while the record is 151 by Tilak Varma (Hyderabad) vs Meghalaya in Group A of the 2024 edition. 
• Madhya Pradesh bowler Arshad Khan's 6 for 9 against Chandigarh were the best bowling figures in SMAT history. The previous record was 6/13 by T Ravi Teja from Hyderabad against Chhattisgarh in the 2023 edition (Group A) and Arzan Nagwaswalla from Gujarat against Railways in the 2023 edition (Group C). 

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26: Top Records

Team Records

Highest Totals

• Punjab: 310/5 vs Bengal (Elite Group C)
• Jharkhand: 262/3 vs Haryana (Final)
• Haryana: 246/7 vs Hyderabad (Super League Group A)

Lowest Completed Totals

• Gujarat: 73 all out vs Baroda (Elite Group C)
• Meghalaya: 81 all out vs Nagaland (Plate Group)
• Puducherry: 83 all out vs Gujarat (Elite Group C)

Biggest Wins (By Runs)

• Karnataka: won by 145 runs vs Tamil Nadu (Elite Group D)
• Haryana: won by 124 runs vs Hyderabad (Super League Group A)
• Nagaland: won by 117 runs vs Arunachal Pradesh (Plate Group)

Biggest Wins (By Wickets)

• Kerala: won by 10 wickets vs Odisha (Elite Group A)
• Mumbai: won by 9 wickets vs Andhra (Elite Group A)
• Gujarat: won by 9 wickets vs Puducherry (Elite Group C)
• Sikkim: won by 9 wickets vs Arunachal Pradesh (Plate Group)
• Mumbai: won by 9 wickets vs Odisha (Elite Group A)
• Hyderabad: won by 9 wickets vs Mumbai (Super League Group A)

Batting Records

Most Runs

• Ishan Kishan (Jharkhand): 517 runs
• Ankit Kumar (Haryana): 448 runs
• Kumar Kushagra (Jharkhand): 422 runs

Multiple Centuries

• Ayush Mhatre (Mumbai): 2 centuries in six innings
• Ishan Kishan (Jharkhand): 2 centuries in 10 innings

Most Fifty+ Scores

• Yashvardhan Dalal (Haryana): 5 half-centuries in 10 innings
• Ankit Kumar (Haryana): 5 half-centuries in 11 innings

Highest Scores

• Abhishek Sharma (Punjab): 148 off 52 balls vs Bengal (Elite Group C)
• Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal): 130 not out off 66 balls vs Punjab (Elite Group C)
• Salil Arora (Punjab): 125 not out off 45 balls vs Jharkhand (Super League Group B)

Bowling Records

Most Wickets

• Sushant Mishra (Jharkhand): 22 wickets
• Ashok Sharma (Rajasthan): 22 wickets
• Anshul Kamboj (Haryana): 21 wickets

Most 4+ wickets

• Yash Thakur (Vidarbha): 2 times in seven innings
• Mohammed Shami (Bengal): 2 times in seven innings
• Mukhtar Hussain (Assam): 2 times in seven innings
• Ashok Sharma (Rajasthan): 2 times in 10 innings

Best bowling figures in an innings

• Arshad Khan (Madhya Pradesh): 4-1-9-6 vs Chandigarh (Elite Group B)
• Mukhtar Hussain (Assam): 4-0-20-6 vs Chhattisgarh (Elite Group A)
• Yash Thakur (Vidarbha): 3.2-0-16-5 vs Kerala (Elite Group A)

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26 final Took place between Jharkhand and Haryana at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune. Jharkhand have been in tremendous form in this campaign under the leadership of Ishan Kishan, while Haryana have shown their comparative skills in every do-or-die clash of the competition.

At the end of the game, the Jharkhand side won by a massive margin of 69 runs by bundling out the Haryana side for 193 in 18.3 overs. Ishan Kishan displayed dancing skills before the team while delivering the trophy to them. The moment rapidly went viral on social media platforms.

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Earlier in the game, Haryana’s captain, Ankit Kumar, won the toss and decided to bowl first, expecting the dew to have a massive effect late in the evening for the second innings. His decision proved right as Jharkhand lost Virat Singh for two runs in as many deliveries in the opening over of the first innings against Anshul Kamboj. However, Kishan was in no mood to slow down with the bat inside the power play.

Ishan Kishan’s special dance on winning SMAT 2025/26 goes viral

Kishan ended up with a 101-run knock in just 49 deliveries at a strike rate of over 200 with the help of six boundaries and ten sixes besides sharing a partnership of 177 for the second wicket with Kumar Kusaka, who himself nailed a fine knock of 81 runs in 38 balls at a strike rate of 213, thanks to his eight boundaries and five sixes.

Watch the video here: 

Moments to cherish 🤗

Jharkhand Captain Ishan Kishan receives the coveted Trophy from BCCI Hon. Treasurer Mr. A. Raghuram Bhat 🏆👏

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/3fGWDCTjoo#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @ishankishan51 pic.twitter.com/KoEhrdwPB3

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 18, 2025

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Later in the innings, Anukul Roy also cracked a fine, unbeaten knock of 40 runs in 20 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and two sixes as Jharkhand posted a massive score of 226/3 in their allotted 20 overs. It was always expected to be a difficult chase for Haryana, who lost the first couple of wickets in the opening over of the chase.

Their number four batter, Yashvardan Dalal, nailed a 50 thriller knock in 22 balls with the help of two boundaries and five sixes at a strike rate of 240. Their middle order also contributed, but none of them were significant to complete the successful chase as they fell short of the target by 69 runs. 

Jharkhand created history on Thursday night (December 18) by winning their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) after thrashing Haryana by 69 runs in the high-scoring 2025-26 Final. 

Haryana chose to field first after winning the toss, while Jharkhand scored a mammoth 262/3 in 20 overs. In reply, Haryana were all out for 193 runs in 18.3 overs. 

Jharkhand innings: Ishan Kishan slammed century and Kumar Kushagra scored 81

Although Jharkhand opener Virat Singh was dismissed for only two runs, another opener and skipper Ishan Kishan and the no.3 batter Kumar Kushagra set the tone of the game with a 177-run partnership for the second wicket. While the captain Ishan scored 101 off 49 balls with six fours and 10 sixes, Kumar scored 81 off 38 balls with eight fours and five sixes. Later, Anukul Roy (40 not out off 20 balls) and Robin Minz (31 not out `14 balls) also added crucial runs to stretch the total to 260+. 

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Haryana were never in chase battle

In reply, Haryana lost two wickets in the first over, as they were always far away from the target, despite some fightbacks in the middle-order batting. While Yashvardhan Dalal scored 53 off 22 balls, Nishant Sindhu (31 off 15 balls) and Samant Jakhar (38 off 17 balls) also added some crucial runs, which were not enough for Haryana.

Among Jharkhand bowlers, Sushant Mishra (3/27) and Bal Krishna (3/38) got three wickets each, while Vikash Singh (2/30) and Anukul Roy (2/42) picked up two wickets each. 

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

It was Jharkhand's second title in Indian domestic cricket. In the 2010-11 edition, they secured their first title by winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the List A format competition. 

While Jharkhand and Haryana are facing each other in the Final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, a Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) star, who is also a known Indian cricketer, slammed a century. 

After Haryana chose to field first in the SMAT 2025-26 Final, Jharkhand opener Virat Singh was dismissed cheaply for only two runs. However, the skipper Ishan Kishan and the no.3 batter Kumar Kushagra completely dominated the first innings, as they had a 177-run partnership for the second wicket.

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SMAT 2025-26 leading run-scorer Ishan Kishan slams century in Final

After completing his 50 runs in 24 balls, Jharkhand opener and captain Ishan completed his sixth T20 century in 45 balls. With the help of six fours and 10 sixes, Ishan scored 101 runs in 49 balls. It was his second century in the tournament, while 113 not out against Tripura in the first round group stage. 

With this knock, Ishan Kishan has sent a strong message to the Indian cricket board as the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter is knocking on the door strongly. He last played for India in November 2023, while he has served for the senior national team in two Tests, 27 ODIs, and 32 T20Is. The ODI double-centurion is the leading run-scorer in the SMAT 2025-26 with 517 runs in 10 innings with an average of 51.70. 

On the other hand, Kumar Kushagra scored a 29-ball fifty, as he stretched his batting to 81 runs in just 38 balls with the help of eight fours and five sixes.

SMAT 2025-26 Final: Jharkhand score 262/3

Later, the middle-order batters, Anukul Roy and Robin Minz played powerful cameos to guide the total over 260 runs. While Roy scored 40 not out off 20 balls with three fours and two sixes, Minz scored 31 not out off 14 balls with three sixes. These batting performances helped Jharkhand to score 262/3 in 20 overs. 

Among Haryana bowlers, Sumit Kumar (1/41), Anshul Kamboj (1/51), and Samant Jakhar (1/62) managed to claim one wicket each. All six Haryana bowlers had 10+ economy rates in the SMAT 2025-26 Final. 

Ishan Kishan will return to Jharkhand's Ranji Team after missing the 2023-24 season. He will be back to lead the side after last leading it in 2018-19. Their previous season's skipper, Virat Singh, has been named as Kishan's deputy. Saurabh Tiwary led them in their last match after which he retired.

Kishan recently featured in the Irani Cup for the Rest of India against Mumbai, where he scored 38 runs off 60 balls in his only innings. He didn't keep the wickets as Dhruv Jurel did the job for the Rest of India. Well, Kishan won't keep the wickets for Jharkhand as well because Kumar Kushagra is their designated wicketkeeper. Before the Irani Cup, Kishan featured in the Duleep Trophy as he played two matches for the India C side which also marked his return to domestic first-class cricket after December 2022.

During this period, Ishan Kishan lost his central BCCI contract with Shreyas Iyer, as the BCCI statement said that all athletes should give preference to domestic cricket when they are not part of the national team.

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Kumar Kushagra and Anukul Roy have been included in Jharkhand's 16-member squad for the first two games. They will begin their campaign against Assam, in Guwahati in the Elite Group D fixture. Last season, Jharkhand ended up third from the bottom in Group A, winning two, losing two, and drawing three of their seven matches.

Jharkhand Selection Committee Chairman about squad selection

Selection Committee Chairman Subroto Das said, "Ishan Kishan is an experienced player as he has international experience. We have picked a very young team. Saurabh Tiwary, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Varun Aaron had all retired after last season so we had to rethink our strategy. Ishan is capable of leading this young side and we're confident of doing well this Ranji season."

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Jharkhand squad for Ranji trophy (first two matches)

Ishan Kishan (captain), Virat Singh (vice-captain), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Nazim Siddique, Aryaman Sen, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Suraj, Anukul Roy, Utkarsh Singh, Supriyo Chakraborty, Saurabh Shekhar, Vikas Kumar, Vivekanand Tiwary, Manishi, Ravi Kumar Yadav, Raunak Kumar

Former Indian cricketer Shahbaz Nadeem has bid farewell to his illustrious 20-year career in Indian cricket, retiring from all formats of the game. The left-arm spinner expressed his desire to explore opportunities in various domestic leagues worldwide following his exit from the Indian cricket scene.

“After much contemplation, I’ve decided to retire from all three formats of the game. While I’ve always strived to stay motivated and perform at my best, I realize that my chances in the Indian team are slim. It’s only fair that I pave the way for younger talent,” Nadeem shared with ESPNcricinfo.

End of an Era: Shahbaz Nadeem Bids Adieu to Indian Cricket

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A post shared by Shahbaz Nadeem (@shahbaz1208)

He also took to social media to formally announce his retirement. Nadeem’s last appearance in competitive cricket was during Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy 2024 clash against Rajasthan in Jamshedpur, where he showcased his prowess with both bat and ball.

Throughout his career, Nadeem accumulated impressive statistics, claiming 542 wickets in first-class cricket, 175 in List A matches, and 125 in T20s. His notable performances include 32 five-wicket hauls, 33 four-wicket hauls, and 7 ten-wicket hauls.

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Nadeem’s journey in international cricket began in 2019 when he received his Test cap from Virat Kohli during India’s match against South Africa at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. Despite playing only two Tests, he managed to secure eight wickets.

Additionally, Nadeem showcased his talent in the Indian Premier League (IPL), representing teams such as Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants, amassing 48 wickets across 72 matches with an economy rate of 7.56.