By Admin 
The Indian domestic cricket calendar now reflects the rigours of international cricket. After five rounds of gruelling four-day Ranji Trophy cricket, India’s journeymen and a handful of stars will brace for high-tempo T20 action with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) championship beginning on Wednesday across five cities in the country.
While adapting to a different format within a week will be a challenge, teams in good rhythm would also want to carry their momentum from red-ball to white-ball cricket.
A case in point is defending champion Mumbai, which has retained its Ranji Trophy skipper, Shardul Thakur, for the T20 tournament to ensure continuity. Mumbai topped its group in the Ranji Trophy under Shardul’s leadership and will look to get its SMAT title defence off to a winning start against Railways at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here.
The additions of India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder Shivam Dube for the first few group-stage matches will bolster the Mumbai squad, which includes former skipper and last season’s highest run-getter Ajinkya Rahane.
Though Mumbai has won the T20 championship twice in the last three editions, it cannot rest on its laurels, with Sanju Samson’s Kerala and Vidarbha also placed in Group A.
Unlike Mumbai, Tamil Nadu will want to shake off its forgettable Ranji Trophy season. A three-time SMAT champion, Tamil Nadu is banking on leadership changes for a reversal of fortunes, having appointed India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy captain and M. Venkatramana white-ball coach in a mid-season reshuffle.
Grouped with white-ball heavyweights Karnataka and Delhi, Tamil Nadu will have its task cut out.
The segregation of the 38 teams into Elite (32) and Plate (six) divisions, like the Ranji Trophy, will make competition more cut-throat. Moreover, for the Elite division, the knockout rounds have been replaced with an eight-team Super League phase, followed immediately by the final on December 18. The top two teams from each of the four Elite division groups will progress to the Super League round.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, scheduled for December 16, will turn the spotlight on individual performances. The likes of Venkatesh Iyer (Madhya Pradesh), Prithvi Shaw (Maharashtra), Deepak Hooda (Rajasthan), Ravi Bishnoi (Gujarat), Vijay Shankar (Tripura), and Mayank Agarwal (Karnataka), who were released by their franchises, will be keen to make a statement.
The competition will also serve as a comeback trail for Hardik Pandya (Baroda), who is returning from an injury he suffered during the Asia Cup, and for Mohammed Shami (Bengal), who continues to ply his trade with dedication in a bid to earn a national recall.
With India’s T20 World Cup title defence at home less than three months away, the tournament will also pique the interest of national selectors.