SMAT 2024: Rahane’s Destructive Innings Takes Mumbai to Final, Defeats Baroda

Ajinkya Rahane maintained his breathtaking form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring an unbeaten 98 off 55 balls in Mumbai's semifinal against Baroda. Rahane's knock was marked with 11 fours and 5 sixes. The Mumbai boys used this knock by Rahane very well to chase 159 and reach the target in just 2.4 overs, with six wickets in hand and enter the final.

Rahane began explosively, scoring 4, 6, and 4 off Lukman Meriwala, who had been Baroda's best performer in the quarterfinals. Along with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 46 off 30 balls, Mumbai accelerated to 61/1 in just 6 overs. The pair scored 88 runs off 56 balls, taking the game out of the reach of Baroda. Iyer departed in the 13th over, but Rahane continued his aggressive play and kept Mumbai well ahead in the chase.

Rahane was dismissed just short of a century, but Mumbai remained in control. Suryakumar Yadav joined him for a brief period but was dismissed in the 18th over. Suryansh Shedge then finished the chase with a six, guiding Mumbai to victory with 2.4 overs to spare. Rahane's innings were crucial in setting the platform for a comfortable win.

Batting was a disaster for Baroda. Opener Shashwat Rawat (33 off 29) and Krunal Pandya (30 off 24) made decent starts, but no one went on to build a partnership. The middle order simply collapsed as Baroda lost wickets at regular intervals and was reduced to 89/5 by the 14th over. Their total of 158/7 was not sufficient against Mumbai's strong bowling.

Despite a late flurry from Shivalik Sharma (36* off 26) and Seth, who added 53 runs off the last 30 balls, Baroda's total was always below par. Mumbai’s bowlers, led by Suryansh Shedge (2-11) and Tanush Kotian (1-16), kept the pressure on, ensuring a comfortable six-wicket win.

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