Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Prediction 2021 – Who Will Win This Indian Cricket Competition?

When people think of T20 competitions to bet on in India, they automatically think about Indian Premier League betting. This is no surprise as the IPL is the biggest domestic T20 tournament in the world where all of the best T20 players in the world play to win. However, there is another exciting T20 competition that takes place in India each year - The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

This page is dedicated to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy betting, in particular the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy currently taking place from the 4th to the 22nd November. This page will supply you with relevant trophy betting tips as well as some quality trophy match predictions for you to take advantage of!

Outright Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Betting Odds

There are no ouright winner odds available yet at the best bookies in India, but stay watching this space. Once outright Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy betting odds are available at one, they will be posted here.

Format of the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

The format of this competition is changing regularly, so we thought it would be wise to speak about the format of the tournament first before making predictions. Whenever you are thinking about betting on a competition, you should know the format because this can have an impact on the outcome of matches.

How is this? Well, if you are putting money on a team that is already through to the next round or have already been eliminated from the tournament, there is a chance that they will change their team up a bit to give squad players some game time, meaning that their team will not be as strong as it usually is. When you bet on a team to win, you need to know where they currently stand in regard to the current state of play of the competition. We would not recommend that you put money on a team that has already qualified for the next round or been eliminated.

So, what is the format of the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy? Well, there are 38 teams competing in the competition, and these teams are divided into six groups - five Elite Groups and a Plate Group. The former will have six teams in each group, while the latter group will be made up of eight teams. The winners from the five Elite Groups will qualify for the quarter-finals, while the runner-up from each Elite Group and the Plate Group winner will play in pre-quarters to see who the other three teams are that will play in the quarter-finals.

Where Will SMAT 2021 Matches Be Played?

Because of the current pandemic issue, each group will be played at a different venue. Below we have listed the venue for each group. Once again, this is important information to know if you are thinking about betting on this competition. Why is this? Well, the wickets at different venues will obviously have different characteristics, and it is important that you know what the playing conditions are going to be like before you go ahead and put money on a match. So, by knowing the venue for each match, you will be able to do some research and improve your chances of landing a successful bet.

• Group A matches will be played at Lucknow
• Group B matches will be played at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati
• Group C matches will be played at Baroda
• Group D matches will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi
• Group E matches will be played at Haryana
• Plate Group matches will be played at Vijayawada
• The knockout matches will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi

SMAT 2021 Participating Teams

The participating teams in the tournament are listed below. Not only are their names shown, but the group that they will be playing in as well, and a link you can follow to bet on the matches once you are satisfied about a winning prediction. Now, while many other cricket competitions would have a variety of markets open, we must point out that the best cricket betting sites are currently only offering you to bet on match winners. While we admit that this is not ideal, it is still better than not being able to bet on cricket online at all!

Also, even with a match winner bet you can increase the entertainment levels of a game quite drastically. In our opinion, the best online bookie for betting on this competition is 22Bet, so we have provided you with links in the table below, should you want

to bet on some matches.

n.b. As always, when it comes to online cricket betting, no matter what event or sport it is, we implore you to do so responsibly. Set yourself a budget, and never go beyond it to try and recuperate any losses that you have incurred. This will just lead you to more problems further down the line.

Players to Watch During the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Although some of the best players who play for the Indian national cricket team are missing because they have been playing at the ICC 2021 T20 World Cup, there will still be plenty of talent on show during the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. We are now going to take a look at ten players that you should keep an eye on when you place your cricket bets. The teams that they are playing for will definitely be better for their presence, and help you with your Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy predictions.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad is only 22, but he was the leading scorer in the 2021 IPL with 635 runs and an average of 45.35. He will be looking to carry on this great form for Maharashtra, while also having the chance to captain the side. In the 2019/20 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was the second highest scorer with 419 runs and a 146.5 strike-rate.

Venkatesh Iyer

Iyer got a lot of attention in the UAE stage of the 2021 IPL thanks to his 370 runs at an average of 41.11 for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The 26-year-old had a really good 2020/21 SMAT season for Madhya Pradesh, scoring 227 runs at an average of 75.67 and a strike-rate of 150.33. He can also bowl very handy medium-pace balls and will once again be key for his team's campaign this time around.

Prithvi Shaw

Shaw performed poorly in the second leg of the 2021 IPL in the UAE, but he undoubtedly has plenty of talent and will be looking to put his poor IPL behind him and help Mumbai bounce back after a terrible 2020/21 season. The youngster has been a very consistent performer for Mumbai over the years and scored an amazing 827 runs in eight games during the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Devdutt Padikkal

Since making his IPL debut back in 2020, Padikkal has been the leading scorer for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has also been a regular for Karnataka since 2019 when he finished top of the run charts in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He had a bit of a slump in the UAE during the second part of the 2021 IPL, but we have no doubt that he will be able to bounce back and do his best to help Karnataka claim their third title.

Thangarasu Natarajan

When he made his debut in the IPL in 2020, he attracted a lot of attention thanks to his 16 wickets and his ability to bowl searing yorkers at the death. However, due to a knee injury, he had to sit out of the first part of the 2021 IPL, and he was planning to play in the second stage in the UAE, but he tested positive and had to sit out. While this would have been a disappointment for Natarajan, Tamil Nadu would not have minded as it means that he is fresh for their campaign to defend the title that they won in 2020/21.

Ravi Bishnoi

In the 2021 IPL, he picked up 12 wickets and had an economy rate of 6.34 for the Punjab Kings. There is no doubt that the leg-spinner will be a vital clog for Rajasthan, who will be eager to go one step further this time around after losing in the semi-finals twice in a row. Bishnoi was their leading wicket-taker in the 2020/21 edition, picking up 11 wickets in seven games at only 5.75 runs per over.

Harshal Patel

He won the Purple Cap during the 2021 IPL thanks to his record-equaling 32 wickets. He has a really good knack for collecting wickets in the death overs and also has the ability to score quick runs down the order. He will bring experience and momentum to Haryana's campaign, that is for sure.

Umesh Yadav

The veteran fast bowler returned to international cricket against England at the Oval in September and picked up six wickets. With an impressive 148 T20 wickets under his belt, he will spearhead Vidarbha's bowling attack as they look to rebuild since being relegated to play in the Plate Division.

Iqbal Abdulla

Abdulla is one of the more experienced all-rounders on the Indian domestic circuit, and is a former IPL player. He will captain Mizoram in this tournament after having played for Uttarakhand last season. While his performances as of late have not been an awful lot to write home about, his acumen and experience will be critical for a team that looks to recover from not winning a game last time out. The left-arm spin bowler has 83 T20 wickets to his name with an economy of 6.97 runs per over. In addition to this, he is also quite handy with the bat lower down the order if need be.

Puneet Bisht

The skipper of Meghalaya wrote his names into the record books when he made the highest individual score of the tournament by smacking 146 runs from just 51 balls against Mizoram in the 2020/21 season. The wicket-keeper from Delhi has been around the domestic circuit since 2006 and he has earned himself a reputation as a very clean hitter of the ball, with a strike-rate of 144.36 in T20s.

Our Prediction for Who Will Win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

The great thing about the T20 format of cricket is that any team can cause a surprise. All it takes is for one team to have a bad couple of overs, and they could find themselves heading out of the tournament. A team could play five matches in the group stage, win each one comfortably, have a poor thirty minutes in the semi-final, and find themselves heading home. It really is one of the most fickle sports out there, but this is what makes T20 cricket so entertaining.

Will Tamil Nadu Win?

Tamil Nadu, last year's champions, are brimming with quality, so they will definitely fancy their chances of retaining their title. Under the rule of Dinesh Karthik, Tamil Nadu have reached the final two times in a row. With the likes of Washington Sundar, Vijay Shankar, Narayan Jagadeesan and Chezhian Nishaanth, they will believe that they have a team that is capable of winning the title once more. The latter two players scored 600 runs between them during the 2020 Trophy, and Tamil Nadu will be hoping that they find similar form this time around.

Will Karnataka Win?

Karnataka, who made it to the final of the 2019, will be missing Abhimanyu Mithun since he retired from all forms of cricket recently, However, they will definitely be a team to look out for as well this time around. Captained by Manish Pandey, they possess some talented players in the shape of Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Gopal, Devdutt Padikkal, and Krishnappa Gowtham.

Who Will Win the Trophy?

Other teams that will be confident about their chances of going on to lift the trophy include Baroda, Mumbai, Kerala, and Bengal. Kerala, who will be led by Sanju Samson, made it to the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and won three of their five matches in the SMAT. The experienced Jalaj Saxena and Robin Uthappa are also part of the squad. Mumbai will be captained by Ajinkya Rahane, who has played 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is for India, and also can call upon the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Shivam Dube.

Our Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Prediction

At this early stage, it is not easy to predict who will go on to lift the title, but if we were forced to put our money on a team, we would put it on Karnataka because we feel that they have one of the better squads. Whoever goes on to win though, there is one thing that is certain, and that is that there will be plenty of fireworks.

Frequently Asked Questions about Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 Predictions