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Bhuvneshwar Kumar Named Captain Before IPL Auction; To Lead UP In SMAT 2024

Bhuvneshwar Kumar To lead UP in SMAT 2024 (Source: @Indiancric_/X.com)Bhuvneshwar Kumar To lead UP in SMAT 2024 (Source: @Indiancric_/X.com)

India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar has new shoes to fill as he will be captaining Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starting from November 23, Saturday. Meanwhile, 26-year-old, Madhav Kaushik has been named as the vice-captain.

The Swing King, the most purchase of UP T20 League, comes with mammoth experience having taken 299 wickets from 286 T20 matches. Interestingly, 90 wickets came in 86 games in T20 Internationals. Under his leadership, the team has a potential chance of winning their second title in the coveted tournament.

A 19-member squad has been announced by Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), featuring players like Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Yash Dayal, Piyush Chawla and more. 

Suresh Raina On Bhuvi's New Stint

Showing his support and full confidence in Bhuvneshwar, former India great who won the first trophy for UP in SMAT, Suresh Raina said that his vast experience will be beneficial for the team. 

"The team is formidable, and Bhuvi's international and domestic expertise will prove invaluable. When UP secured their only SMA Trophy under me, the fixtures were held at the Wankhede. I am optimistic that we will clinch the trophy this time as well," he exclaimed.

Furthermore, he talked about having a good combination of players would be a positive point for the UP team especially considering the completing Mumbai pitches.

"Sameer Rizvi, Madhav Kaushik, Rinku Singh and Swastik Chikara will be our strength, and they harmonise splendidly with Bhuvi, Additionally, seasoned players Piyush Chawla, Yash Dayal, Aaqib Khan and Mohsin Khan have performed admirably. The Mumbai pitches will complement our batting order," he added.

"I think when local players play for their franchise or state that brings an extra motivation to do well, and that is what we've seen in CSK and UP. When players represent their state, they bring a distinctive quality. When we played donning Sahara jersey, it was an honour. Sahara Shri and Abhijit Sarkar provided tremendous support to players," he said. 

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh have been placed in Group C and will play all their matches in Mumbai alongside various other teams like Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, and Jharkhand. They will face Delhi in their opening encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on Nov 23. 

Uttar Pradesh Squad For SMAT

UP Squad: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (captain), Madhav Kaushik (vice-captain), Karan Sharma, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Swastik Chikara, Priyam Garg, Aryan Juyal, Aaditya Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Vipraj Nigam, Kartikeya Jaiswal, Shivam Sharma, Yash Dayal, Mohsin Khan, Aaqib Khan, Shivam Mavi and Vineet Panwar