The third round of the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) was a mixture of incredibly high-scoring affairs, along with low-scoring damp squibs, on Sunday, November 30. While a few Indian internationals flexed their muscles with the willow, others announced themselves on the big stage with eye-catching batting and bowling performances.The competition standings also saw some changes at the top and bottom, with some teams losing their first outing and others recording their maiden victory. However, with the IPL 2026 auction just a fortnight away, it was the individual performances that captured the fans' interest on a busy Sunday.On that note, let us look at the top five performers of the third round of the 2026-26 SMAT from bottom to top.#5 Karn SharmaRailways captain Karn Sharma produced the best all-round performance of the round in the side's clash against Assam. The 38-year-old bowled a terrific spell of 2/23 in his four overs to help restrict Assam to 132/7 in 20 overs.Karn picked up the vital wicket of Assam skipper Riyan Parag at a crucial juncture of the innings. Yet, in response, Railways stuttered to 99/6 in the 16th over when the skipper walked out to bat.Unfazed by the situation, Karn scored a composed 24* off 16 deliveries to help Railways seal a final over victory with three wickets in hand. His excellent all-round showing earned him Player of the Match honors as Railways won their second game in three outings.#4 Ishan KishanJharkhand skipper Ishan Kishan reminded the world about his incredible ability with the willow in the side's clash against Tripura. After marshalling his troops impressively to help restrict Tripura to 182/7 in 20 overs, the southpaw delivered the knockout punch with the bat.Opening the batting, Kishan smashed a breathtaking 113* off 50 deliveries to make a mockery of a seemingly daunting run chase. The left-hander struck 10 boundaries and eight maximums, helping Jharkhand pull off a hat-trick of wins to start the tournament in a mere 17.3 overs.#3 Saurav ChauhanThe most thrilling finish of round three saw Gujarat's Saurav Chauhan produce a rearguard action for the ages against Haryana. After bowling Haryana out for 142 on a tricky surface, Gujarat were in dire straits in their run chase at 24/3 when Chauhan came out to bat.However, the southpaw was not to be denied as he scored a sensational 52-ball 81* with nine boundaries and two maximums. To give context to the magnitude of Chauhan's knock, only one other batter from his side even reached double figures.Gujarat finally completed the win off the last ball to make it two victories in three matches to kickstart their SMAT campaign.#2 R RajkumarIf ever a match-winning knock came out of nowhere, it was Tamil Nadu's R Rajkumar pulling off a heist against Uttarakhand. Having restricted their opponents to a modest 164, Tamil Nadu were reeling at 42/3 inside the powerplay when Rajkumar walked out to bat at No. 5.The right-hander then produced a batting display for the ages, scoring an unbeaten 93 off 43 deliveries. With eight sixes and six boundaries, Rajkumar helped a sinking Tamil Nadu ship coast to victory by five wickets in the 18th over.It was the side's first win of the tournament as they avoided a three-game skid after losses in the first two outings.#1 Abhishek SharmaThat young Abhishek Sharma can do no wrong at the moment is an understatement. In one of the all-time great knocks in SMAT history, the southpaw smashed a 52-ball 148 for Punjab in their round three clash against Bengal.The 25-year-old reached his half-century off a mere 12 deliveries and completed his century off just 32 balls. Abhishek struck an incredible 16 maximums in his innings, helping Punjab become only the second team after Baroda to score over 300 in SMAT history.The side eventually finished on 310/5 in their 20 overs and completed a 112-run victory to move atop Group C with two wins in three matches.