Top 5 best performers in Round 4 of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 ft. Hardik Pandya 

The fourth round of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 was held on Tuesday, December 2, and, much like the earlier rounds, it was a mix of high-scoring games of the highest degree coupled with some low-scoring thrillers.

Given the proximity to the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction and the fact that the Men in Blue are scheduled to play a slew of T20Is in the coming months, players are keen on making an impression, with national selectors present at the venue to observe.

Heavyweights like Punjab, Mumbai, Baroda, Karnataka, and Bengal were involved in run fests once again. Meanwhile, Tripura registered a historic win over Delhi, whose tough times in domestic cricket, irrespective of the format, continue.

At the end of the fourth round, Jharkhand, Mumbai, and Rajasthan are unbeaten, and the likes of Hyderabad and Gujarat lead their respective tables after a strong start to the campaign.

On that note, let us take a look at the top 5 best performers in Round 4 of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26.

#1 Hardik Pandya

The star all-rounder made a return to competitive cricket after a two-month layoff due to injury, and he owned the stage right away. Proving his fitness and form ahead of the upcoming T20I series, Hardik Pandya put in a serious shift with both bat and ball in Baroda's record run chase against Punjab at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Hardik Pandya was handed the new ball by the skipper, his brother Krunal Pandya, and his start did not go along expected lines as the destructive opening pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Abhishek Sharma. However, he was able to take the crucial wicket of Anmolpreet Singh ahead of the death overs to finish with figures of 1-52 off four overs.

His best came with the bat as he smashed an unbeaten 77 runs off 42 deliveries at a strike rate of 183.33 while batting at No.4 to help Baroda complete the chase with five balls to spare.

#2 Devdutt Padikkal

The left-handed batter had to settle for a place on the bench during India's home Tests, but after a couple of ordinary outings in the earlier stages of the 2025-26 SMAT, he stepped up with a big knock. Featuring at No.3 for Karnataka, he scored an unbeaten 102 off just 46 deliveries, which is his fourth hundred in the shortest format.

Padikkal's innings came at an explosive strike rate of 221.74, showcasing how much he has evolved as a T20 batter and how he has adapted to the modern-day approach. His knock helped Karnataka post a mammoth total of 245-3 in Ahmedabad.

He also took a couple of catches, one of which sent back key wicket-keeper batter N Jagadeesan. Tamil Nadu collapsed to 100 all out to continue their dismal start to the campaign, and hurt their net run-rate with the 145-run loss.

#3 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

The prodigal batter became the youngest player to record a ton in SMAT history after scoring 108 runs off 61 deliveries, which included seven sixes at the Eden Gardens. After a dominant Asia Cup Rising Stars campaign, he had a quiet start to 2025-26 SMAT.

However, Sooryavanshi was at his best against a decent Maharashtra bowling unit as he ended up scoring over sixty percent of the team's runs in the first innings. The rest of the batters could not match his tempo as Bihar ended with a below-par score of 176, which the opposition chased down with five balls to spare.

#4 Sarfaraz Khan

After recurring omissions from the Indian Test side, with his last international appearance coming over a year ago, Sarfaraz Khan made a statement with a stunning white-ball display in Mumbai's win over Assam in Lucknow. Batting at No.3 in a star-studded batting unit, he managed to steal the spotlight with an unbeaten 47-ball 100.

This marked his maiden T20 ton, and it helped Mumbai post 220-4 in 20 overs. He starred in the field as well after taking a catch to dismiss opposition captain Riyan Parag for a duck. Assam crumbled to 122 all out to give the defending champions a thumping win.

The knock comes at an excellent time for Sarfaraz Khan, given the IPL scouts will be keeping a close eye, with the mini-auction only a couple of weeks away. The batter has had a few difficult IPL stints of late with the Delhi Capitals and the Punjab Kings, and is on the lookout for a fresh start.

#5 Yash Thakur

The right-arm pacer has been a busy bowler since the start of the domestic season, and all of his exposure playing for Vidarbha and India 'A' is paying off. Thakur was recently retained by the Punjab Kings, and after kick-starting his SMAT campaign with a brilliant spell of 3-25, he has gone one step further to record a five-wicket haul against Kerala.

The bowler finished with figures of 5-16 off 3.2 overs, playing an instrumental role in bowling out Kerala for 164. He dismissed the in-form Rohan Kunnummal and ran through the lower order in the death overs. This is his second five-wicket haul after he picked his maiden fifer in the 2024 IPL season while playing for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).