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.

Ishan Kishan and the Jharkhand cricket team are in the seventh sky after winning the 2025 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025) T20 tournament. Ishan Kishan was the captain of his state team, and he led the team from the front in the final match of the tournament by scoring a brilliant hundred. For winning the prestigious trophy, the team received a hefty amount as prize money. Now, they will have to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

The Jharkhand cricket team received prize money of Rs. 2.8 crore for winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, defeating Haryana in Pune. Now, some of the latest reports claim that if the Jharkhand team also wins the Vijay Hazare Trophy, then they could receive prize money of Rs 5 crore from the government. After hearing the probable prize money of Rs 5, Ishant Kishan offered an encouraging speech to teammates of the Jharkhand cricket team. 

"We had to prove it. We had to tell people that we can do it. And we succeeded in that... We will do whatever we can on the field," Ishan Kishan said in a live event. 

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Watch Ishan Kishan's encouraging words after hearing Rs 5 crore prize money 

Ishan kishan and Jharkhand team received 2.8cr as a prize money for SMAT
- Government announced that they will give 5cr if they win VHT
- Ishan Enjoying and boosting his team to Win VHT for that 5cr prize money 😅😅.

Ishan kishan is such a character pic.twitter.com/T5Gs7SasGM

— HomeLander_Raj (@RajHomelander) December 20, 2025

In the final of SMAT 2025, against Haryana, the captain of Jharkhand scored a hundred for a winning cause. Kishan became the first ever captain in the history of the tournament to score a hundred in the final match. He scored 101 runs at a strike rate of 206.12. He is the second batsman overall to achieve this feat. He reached his half-century in just 24 balls in the final against Haryana. 

Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan also became the first player to reach 500 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. He has scored 517 runs in 10 innings, including two centuries and two half-centuries. His highest score is an unbeaten 113 against Tripura.

In the Summit Clash, Kumar Kushagra also batted beautifully. Jharkhand went to bat first and registered 262 runs in 20 overs. Haryana, in reply, scored 193 runs against all of their 10 wickets. Thus, Jharkhand won the SMAT 2025 final by 69 runs. 

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.

Ishan Kishan and the entire Jharkhand cricket team are receiving grand treatment, as they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament (SMAT 2025) with full dominance. Multiple videos of Ishan Kishan, captain of the Jharkhand cricket team, are now surfacing on social media platforms.

One of the videos captured the moment when the keeper-batter was dancing to a Bhojpuri song. From the video it was clear that the entire team was in a full party mood. Ishan made some proper dance moves on the song to mark the night special. In the final of SMAT 2025, against Haryana, the captain of Jharkhand scored a hundred for a winning cause.

Kishan became the first ever captain in the history of the tournament to score a hundred in the final match. He scored 101 runs at a strike rate of 206.12. He is the second batsman overall to achieve this feat. He reached his half-century in just 24 balls in the final against Haryana.

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Watch Ishan Kishan's dance with Bhojpuri song 

Dancing on Bhojpuri songs after the win 😂♥️ pic.twitter.com/NEXq9Tp9FC

— Bihar_se_hai (@Bihar_se_hai) December 19, 2025

Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan also became the first player to reach 500 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. He has scored 517 runs in 10 innings, including two centuries and two half-centuries. His highest score is an unbeaten 113 against Tripura. In the Summit Clash, Kumar Kushagra also batted beautifully. Jharkhand went to bat first and registered 262 runs in 20 overs.

Haryana, in reply, scored 193 runs against all of their 10 wickets. Thus, Jharkhand won the SMAT 2025 final by 69 runs. 

It was only last December when Ishan Kishan was criticized for not turning up to the domestic cricket even after not playing for the Indian side, which saw his central contract being terminated. Now, a year later, he has led the Jharkhand side to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26 victory.

In that final, Ishan Kishan smashed a fine knock of 101 runs in just 49 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and 10 sixes at a strike rate of 206, which saw them lay down the platform of posting 262/3 at the end in their allotted 20 overs of the first inning. Kishan’s father looked back at the tough phase of his son.

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“The boy (Ishan) 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.” Ishan Kishan’s father said in an interaction with Times of India (TOI).

Ishan Kishan’s father recalls his son’s tough phase

With the superb knock, it will be a chance for the wicket-keeper opening batter to break into the national side as a potential replacement for Sanju Samson, who keeps getting ignored in the shortest format by the management.

“When I was not selected in the Indian team, I felt quite bad because I was doing well. But I told myself that if I am not selected with this sort of performance, then maybe I have to do more. Maybe I have to make my team win. Maybe we have to do well as a unit.” Kishan addressed a discussion with Sportstar.

“It is definitely the happiest moment, because we have never won domestic tournaments under my captaincy. And, this was something where you had to prove yourself. There are times when you doubt yourself, but when you win it, it’s all done, and you know what quality you have, what changes you can make to your game, how you can turn the game around.” The southpaw noted.

Ishan Kishan was criticized massively when he didn’t turn up for the domestic cricket, which saw his central contract being terminated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Now, he has led his Jharkhand side to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26 trophy after winning the title against Haryana by 609 runs.

Ishan Kishan slammed a fine knock of 101 runs in 49 balls at a strike rate of 206 with the help of six boundaries and 10 sixes, which laid the strong platform for them to post 262/3 later in the allotted 20 overs of the first innings. He revealed how the Bahubali movie inspired him during the tough period.

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“There was a dialogue which said, ‘Wherever a king goes, he remains a king.’ So, that is the simple thing. Wherever you are, in whatever situation, you shouldn’t stop believing in yourself.” Kishan expressed on Sportstar.

Ishan Kishan takes motivation from Bahubali movie

With Shubman Gill’s form not good in the shortest format and Sanju Samson warming the benches, Ishan can think of making his way back into India’s T20I side. Moreover, he brings the wicket-keeping option along with opening and the left-handed angle into the equation.

“When I was not selected in the Indian team, I felt quite bad because I was doing well. But I told myself that if I am not selected with this sort of performance, then maybe I have to do more. Maybe I have to make my team win. Maybe we have to do well as a unit.” Kishan addressed during the same interaction.

“It is definitely the happiest moment, because we have never won domestic tournaments under my captaincy. And, this was something where you had to prove yourself. There are times when you doubt yourself, but when you win it, it’s all done, and you know what quality you have, what changes you can make to your game, how you can turn the game around.” The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter concluded that his focus now moves to the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26.

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.