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

Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (Tamil Nadu)

12 innings. 20 wickets. Average 10.40 and an economy of 4.63 with a four-wicket haul and a strike-rate of 13.4. Finger spinner.  Doesn’t that sound overwhelming? Considering the fact that these are the figures of a left-arm finger spinner in a T20 tournament against the best domestic batsmen of the country?

It truly does and Tamil Nadu’s Sai Kishore is steadily making a habit of it. Sai Kishore, who was a part of a Tamil Nadu side which won both the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar titles in 2016-17, emerged as the cornerstone of his sides’ imperious campaign, one that ended in a heart wrenching one-run loss in the finals ahead of the more-experienced teammates in Washington Sundar, and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

Surprisingly, he bowled only a solitary over in the final. But that doesn’t take away his exceptional performances throughout the season. Surely, he is expected to get a bid in the upcoming IPL auction.