I feel that there is lot more pressure in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as compared to IPL: Shahrukh Khan

In a conversation on JioCinema’s daily show ‘#AAKASHVANI’, hosted by Aakash Chopra, top India cricketers gave their take on whether the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a precursor to the Indian Premier League for budding cricketers in India, Notably, Punjab won the 2023 edition of prestigious Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Washington Sundar: “I feel when it comes to Tamil Nadu, all of us come together with one goal in mind – to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I think that has helped us to get to the next level in the last couple of years. We have been playing in the tournament regularly and have seen players getting better and getting the recognition they deserve.”

Mayank Agarwal: “I don’t think that one can look at a tournament like Syed Mushtaq Ali and say that it is an audition for the IPL. Yes, it is used by IPL franchises to spot talent and pick them for their teams. But it’s a very competitive domestic tournament that we’d like to win.”

Shahrukh Khan: “It is a big tournament for players who aspire to play IPL and break into the Indian team. Also, I feel that there is a lot more pressure in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as compared to the IPL because the wicket is a lot better and there is more speed for batters there. Whereas the wicket is slower and it takes a lot more skill to be successful here than in the IPL.”

Varun Chakravarthy: “It is one of the best tournaments in the country. You can’t take it easy. We get the best domestic batters here, they are at the top of their forms, and they want to impress the scouts and everyone observing their game. That is why you have to be at the top of your game.”