SMAT 2025 Round 3: Abhishek Sharma’s 32-Ball Hundred, Kishan & Samson Shine Bright
Round 3 of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 turned out to be another exciting day. India’s first-choice T20 opener smashed a brilliant century. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan also scored tons in their matches, playing for Punjab and Jharkhand.
Sanju Samson added another solid knock for Kerala. At the moment, Jharkhand lead Group D, Punjab are on top in Group C, UP are ahead in Group B, and Andhra Pradesh sit at the top of Group A.
Abhishek Sharma blasts a century in just 32 balls
The Punjab batter completely dominated the Bengal bowlers in the match in Hyderabad, reaching his hundred in only 32 balls. He smashed 11 sixes on the way to his eighth T20 century, which also became the third-fastest hundred by an Indian in T20 cricket. He eventually ended with a stunning 148 off 52 balls, helping Punjab win the match by 112 runs.
Ishan Kishan, Jharkhand’s captain, scored an unbeaten 113-run knock against Tripura on Sunday as the side romped home to a 8-wicket win. His 50-ball knock was studded with 10 fours and 8 sixes. After scoring 27 and 15 in the first two round of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, Kishan bounced back to form with a sublime century.
More knocks like these will surely put in in the race for a spot in the Indian T20I side, although he faces a stiff competition. After scoring an unbeaten 51 in Kerala’s first SMAT 2025 match against Odisha, Samson struggled and made only 19 against Railways. But he bounced back on Sunday with a strong 43 against Chhattisgarh, hitting two fours and five sixes.
With a strike rate of 286.67, Sanju once again showed why he deserves to be India’s first-choice opener for the 2026 T20 World Cup, surely giving Gambhir and SKY something to think about while finalising their plans.
Samson continues to impress with another fiery knock
MP batter Venkatesh Iyer, who was recently released by KKR ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, was forced to depart for a duck in the game against UP.
He managed to last for just 2 deliveries before he was stumped out by Aryan Juyal off Vipraj Nigam. However, thanks to captain Rajat Patidar’s 43-run knock, MP secured a 37-run win over UP. Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan, who rejoined the Tamil Nadu team after the India vs South Africa Test series, could score only 1 run in his comeback match.
He was recently retained by the Gujarat Titans for the IPL 2026 auction after finishing as the top run-scorer in IPL 2025. On the other hand, CSK youngster Ayush Mhatre helped Mumbai cruise to a 9-wicket win over Andhra with an unbeaten 104. His innings included 5 fours and 9 sixes, making it a standout performance.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 Round 3
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Puducherry vs Services | Services win by 7 wickets |
| Chandigarh vs Maharashtra | Chandigarh win by 5 wickets |
| Jharkhand vs Tripura | Jharkhand win by 8 wickets |
| Assam vs Railways | Railways win by 3 wickets |
| Bengal vs Punjab | Punjab win by 112 runs |
| Karnataka vs Rajasthan | Rajasthan win by 1 run |
| Gujarat vs Haryana | Gujarat win by 4 wickets |
| Goa vs Hyderabad | Hyderabad win by 7 wickets |
| Chhattisgarh vs Kerala | Kerala win by 8 wickets |
| Madhya Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh | MP win by 37 runs |
| Tamil Nadu vs Uttarakhand | Tamil Nadu win by 5 wickets |
| Odisha vs Vidarbha | Vidarbha win by 8 wickets |
| Himachal Pradesh vs Baroda | Baroda win by 5 wickets |
| Jammu & Kashmir vs Bihar | J&K win by 34 runs |
| Delhi vs Saurashtra | Delhi win by 10 runs |
| Mumbai vs Andhra | Mumbai win by 9 wickets |
