Mumbai will get a big boost for their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) campaign as Yashasvi Jaiswal will be available to play for them. After hitting his first ODI century against South Africa in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, the India opener has decided to play for the domestic team in the tournament.
According to Cricbuzz, a senior Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) official has confirmed that Jaiswal will be available for the SMAT campaign. The official stated that the opener has given his nod to play in the tournament.
“He has made himself available for the SMAT campaign,” the official told Cricbuzz.
Jaiswal last played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy during the 2023-24 quarter-final and missed the previous edition because he was busy with national duties. The 23-year-old has featured in 28 matches in the competition, scoring 648 runs in 26 innings at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 136.42. He also has three half-centuries to his name in the tournament.
Under the leadership of Shardul Thakur, Mumbai have been in excellent form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. They have picked up five wins from six games and sit on top of Elite Group A with 20 points.
Their last group match is against Odisha on December 8. If Jaiswal links up with the squad before that, it will give Mumbai a huge lift as they move toward the Super League stage.
Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Ayush Mhatre will not be available for Mumbai in the Super League stage of SMAT 2025-26. Suryakumar and Dube will be with the Indian team for the five match T20I series against South Africa, starting on December 9 in Cuttack. Meanwhile, 18 year old Ayush Mhatre, who is the top run scorer of SMAT 2025 and has hit two centuries, will travel to Dubai with the India U19 squad for the U19 Asia Cup.
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For Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is currently not part of India’s T20I plans, this tournament could be an important chance to impress the selectors. SMAT will be the only event he can play before the T20 World Cup because IPL 2026 will be held after the World Cup.
A strong performance might help him get noticed, and if he does well, he could even be considered as a backup opener. In 23 T20Is, Jaiswal has scored 723 runs at an average of 36.15 and a strike rate of 160.86, including one century and five fifties. Overall, in T20s, he has made 3537 runs in 114 innings at an average of 33.05 and a strike rate of 151.67, with three centuries and 23 half centuries.
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