Ishan Kishan and the Jharkhand team scripted history as they defeated Haryana in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy (SMAT 2025) at the MCA stadium in Pune on December 18, 2025.
Ishan Kishan led from the front, having scored a scintillating century. Haryana captain Ankit Kumar had won the toss and chosen to bowl first in the summit clash. They did well to dismiss Virat Singh for 2 runs, but then Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan and young Kumar Kushagra added 177 runs for the second wicket.
Kushagra made 81 in 38 balls with 8 fours and 5 sixes, but the highlight of the Jharkhand innings was Kishan’s knock. Kishan dominated from ball one and hammered 101 in 49 balls with 6 fours and 10 sixes. He became only the second batter to hit a century in the SMAT final.
Despite both the batters getting out in the 16th over, Haryana couldn’t breathe easy as Anukul Roy hammered 40* in 20 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes, and Robin Minz made 31* in 14 balls with three sixes. They added 75 unbeaten runs for the fourth wicket in 32 balls to take Jharkhand to 262/3 in 20 overs.
A day after their win, Jharkhand’s SMAT champions squad were hosted at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi for felicitation. They were welcomed by dhols and drums, and Ishan Kishan led the way with the SMAT trophy in his hand and showed some impressive dance moves as well.
JSCA shared the video on their social media with a caption reading, “Led by skipper Ishan Kishan, the #SMATChampions make a grand entry into the JSCA Stadium—dancing, celebrating, and soaking in the moment with JSCA officials and members. This is how history feels. This is how Jharkhand celebrates!”
