The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has announced the Bengal squad for the upcoming domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25. 

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25 will begin on November 23, just one day before the first day of the two-day mega auction for IPL 2025. Just like the other domestic tournaments, it has played a huge role in Indian cricketers’ successes. 

On Monday (November 18), the CAB announced Bengal’s full squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25. While the right-arm fast bowler Mohammed Shami just returned to the game after almost a year, he has been included in the T20 squad. 

When did Mohammed Shami play his last T20 and SMAT matches?

Shami last played a T20 match during the IPL 2023 Final for Gujarat Titans, where the defending champions finished as the runners-up after losing against Chennai Super Kings. Meanwhile, Shami last played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in January 2016.  

After playing in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final against Australia, Shami took almost a year off from the game due to his ankle injury, surgery, and recovery process. 

While Shami’s return to the game was expected earlier, he just started to get back into his familiar rhythm. Finally, the 34-year-old Indian fast bowler just made his comeback in the game during the last Ranji Trophy match against the hosts Madhya Pradesh. 

Shami impressed on his return

Shami took seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh as the right-arm fast bowler took four wickets and three wickets, respectively. In the fourth innings, Shami produced the crucial match-winning delivery to bring some vital points for the team.

Shami not only had contributions with the ball in hand, but he also shined with the bat. During the third innings of the match, Shami scored 37 off 36 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes. His batting ultimately proved valuable for Bengal, who won by 11 runs against Madhya Pradesh. 

The upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25 is very important for the Bengal fast bowler Mohammed Shami. If he manages to maintain a good rhythm, he can be a part of the Indian team in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian team is patiently waiting for his international comeback.  

Complete Bengal squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25

Sudip Kr Gharami (Captain), Mohammad Shami, Abishek Porel (wk), Sudip Chatterjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Ranjot Singh Khaira, Prayas Ray Barman, Agniv Pan (wk), Pradipta Pramanik, Saksham Chaudhary, Ishan Porel, Md Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh, Kanishk Seth, Soummyadip Mandal

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to remove the Impact Player rule from the upcoming domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).

The Impact Player rule was originally introduced in the SMAT 2022/23. Later, this rule was introduced in the IPL 2023. 

Recently, the BCCI claimed that the Impact Player rule will continue in the IPL 2025. However, the BCCI has decided to remove it from the SMAT.

No more Impact Player in SMAT

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25 will begin on November 23. This tournament will run till December 15. 

According to the Cricbuzz, the BCCI official statement claimed, "Kindly note that the BCCI has decided to do away with the provision of 'Impact Player' for the ongoing season."

Many teams, captains, and coaches don’t like the Impact Player rule idea. Also, some experts have felt that this rule demoralises the all-rounder roles, as some teams were utilising it for the specialist players in batting and bowling. 

As the BCCI has decided to remove the Impact Player rule from the SMAT, we can expect the same fate in the future IPL.

Two-bouncer rule staying in SMAT

However, the two-bouncer rules stay in the SMAT. This rule was introduced in the last SMAT and IPL seasons as the bowlers can deliver two bouncers in an over, unlike the one-bouncer rule in global T20 cricket. 

Unlike the Impact Player rule, many cricketers and experts have supported the two-bouncer rule in an over in T20 cricket. So, it is not a shocker that the BCCI has continued this rule in the SMAT.

Talking about Indian domestic cricket, the Ranji Trophy season has just started now. Between November 23 and December 15, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will run. Between December 21, 2024, and January 18, 2025, the List A tournament Vijay Hazare Trophy will run.