Who is Salman Nizar? – All you need to know about Kerala batter who smashed 99* against Mumbai in SMAT 2024

Kerala took on Mumbai in the Group E match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2024) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, in Hyderabad, on Friday, November 29. Mumbai won the toss and opted to bowl only to take thrashings from top order batter, Rohan Kunnummal and middle order batter, Salman Nizar.

While Rohan departed scoring a brilliant 87 off 48 balls, Salman kept the onslaught on. In the recently concluded IPL 2025 mega auction, he went unsold. The duo stitched a fabulous 140-run stand for the fourth wicket before Rohan walked off. Salman remained unbeaten on 99* off just 49 balls, in a thrilling knock which was complemented by five boundaries and eight towering maximums.

Salman Nizar batted with a strike rate of a staggering 202.04 as Kerala posted a huge total of 234/5 against the mighty Mumbai. For the unversed, he was also one of the players who complained against Sachin Baby's leadership to KSCA (Kerala State Cricket Association) in 2018.

However, similar to their dismal bowling, the Shreyas Iyer-led side succumbed to Kerala’s clinical attack with the ball too. Other than Ajinkya Rahane’s 68 off 35 and Iyer’s 32 off 18, no other batter crossed the 30-run mark. Mumbai managed 191/9 at the end of the 20 overs and Kerala registered a memorable 43-run victory. For Kerala, MD Nidheesh dazzled with four wickets as Vinod Kumar and Abdul Basith chipped in with two wickets each.

Check out Salman Nizar's explosive batting here:

Final Flourish 🔥

Salman Nizar smashes 6⃣,4⃣,6⃣,6⃣ in the last over and remains unbeaten on 99*(49) as Kerala post 234/5 👏#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/5giWG6lAFG pic.twitter.com/E9UzOznB21

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 29, 2024

Kerala jump to second spot in Group E 

With this win, Kerala have won two games in a row after losing their only game to Maharashtra. They had won against Nagaland by eight wickets before handing Mumbai their first defeat in three games. They have cemented the second spot in Group E with three wins in four games.

Also Read: SMAT 2024: All 11 Delhi players bowl against Manipur, create record in T20 cricket

While Andhra Pradesh are perched atop the table with three victories in as many games. On the other hand, Mumbai have slipped to the third spot with this loss but they have maintained a positive Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.240. They will next take on Nagaland in their fourth game of the season.