Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20: Best XI of the tournament

After weeks of Brobdingnagian sixes, whirlwind knocks, hattricks, five-wickets in an over, one-sided encounters, a plethora of humdingers and some damp squibs, we finally have a winner in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20 season. In what turned to be a match fitting of a T20 final, defending champions Karnataka held their nerves in the closing moments to notch up a one-wicket win over 2006-07 champions Tamil Nadu.

Karnataka became the first side to successfully defend the title in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. And, just like the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Tamil Nadu had to face the ignominy of finishing as the second-best side of the tournament. So, with the tournament done and dusted, we have picked the best XI of the competition.

Here’s the best XI:

Devdutt Padikkal (Karnataka)

Another southpaw from India who just looks like a million dollars whenever he nonchalantly flicks the ball off his legs or when he cuts or goes downtown. Another batting run-machine from India- Devdutt Padikkal, 19, broke a plethora of records during his marathon season.

The swashbuckling Karnataka opener became the first player to complete 1000 runs across formats in the 2019-20 domestic season. After having topped the batting charts in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy (609 runs in 11 innings), Padikkal proceeded to bulldoze domestic bowling attacks to all corners of the ground, smoking 548 runs in 11 games at an average of 64.44 and at a gobsmacking strike-rate of 175.76- also the best in the tournament.

Padikkal’s whirlwind 87 to help Karnataka scale down 8-194 in a mere 15 overs and his partnership with KL Rahul at the top of the order emerged as one of the cornerstones for his sides’ eventual title-winning heist.