India’s highest domestic T20 tournament event, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025, has its countdown running. This prominent cricket event is scheduled from November 26 to December 18.
For some players this tournament means more than just winning, it also means reviving their careers and getting a second chance before the IPL 2026 mini-auction on December 16.
The last chance to showcase their talent is now these players’ privilege who were either not purchased in the IPL mega auction or released by their teams. They can gain attention and thereby create bidding wars through powerful performances. The following are four Indian players who are most importantly pressurized to perform.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw who is going to captain Maharashtra, is making his entrance into the SMAT with the biggest point of doubt to clear. He was once regarded as one among India’s most dynamic young openers, but Shaw failed to make a sale in IPL 2025 mega auction as a result of an unproductive year with Delhi Capitals where he amassed only 198 runs in 8 innings at an indifferent average of 24.75.
Nevertheless, his T20 career so far is noteworthy. He has batted in 117 innings and scored 2902 runs with a strike rate of 151.54, which includes 1 hundred and 20 fifties.
One of the teams that would like to acquire his services may be Kolkata Knight Riders, who are looking for an opener who is both solid and attacking. For Shaw, the SMAT 2025 tournament could serve as a perfect occasion to make the cricketing fraternity aware of the fact that he is indeed the one who should be in the IPL.
Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer is another player who has to live up to the expectations. Oddly, the ₹23.75 crore signing, which was the most expensive buy in KKR’s history, was let go before the mini-auction. The left-handed batsman could only score 142 runs in 7 innings last season with a strike rate of 139.21.
But one bad year does not indicate his career. He was consistently a dependable run-scorer for the time with 3038 runs in 119 T20 innings, a 35.32 batting average, and a hundred as well as 17 fifties as supports.
If anything, the IPL franchises wanting a strong Indian batter for the middle order could get into bidding war if the player has a great SMAT campaign.
Akash Deep
The one who is going to be on the list of right-arm pacers Akash Deep is the one who is going to be needing a strong performance but he was released by Lucknow Super Giants. He was bought for ₹8 crore but the injury put him back to the starting point and hurt his rhythm.
His 6 matches for LSG are notable with just 3 wickets taken, and his economy rate climbed to 12.05, which made it impossible for the team management to keep him.
Now, the SMAT season gives him a chance to prove that he is still the one who can give troubles to the batters in his own way. His figures in the domestic T20 career show the same 52 wickets in 48 matches with 8.20 as the economy indicating he’s got it in him.
He could be again among those who will be targeted for Indian pacers but this will be only if he performs consistently and keeps his economy low.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal, a veteran opener, is the fourth player on the list who was let go by Royal Challengers Bengaluru after a short spell of poor form.
It is worth mentioning that the first time Mayank went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction and then joined RCB later as an injury replacement for ₹1 crore. Unfortunately, he could not make a mark as only 95 runs in 4 innings exacerbated the danger of him being unsold again.
But Mayank is a match-winner, an experienced player who has scored 5,012 runs in over 209 T20 innings.
He is the captain of the Karnataka team in SMAT and is expected to set the pace and provide the team with substantial runs. In the case of teams looking for stability and maturity at the top, Mayank could be a choice but only if he shows his worth this season, or he might find himself unsold once again.
