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Ruturaj Gaikwad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Light Up SMAT 2023

image-lo5oq3r8Bhuvneshwar Kumar celebrates a wicket with UP teammates in SMAT 2023 (BCCI Domestic)

Team India discard Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled Uttar Pradesh to a clinical win over Karnataka in their latest Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 shootout in Dehradun. The speedster polished off Karnataka’s tail to script a 40-run win for his side, one which extended their winning run to three matches in the ongoing competition.


Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Gaikwad dazzles in SMAT 2023

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who played the last of his 87 T20Is for Team India nearly a year ago in New Zealand, has not been considered for the national line-up in any of the three formats since then. The cricketer, however, continues to knock on selection doors for a potential return with his wicket-taking abilities across Indian domestic competitions.

Earlier this year, Kumar turned up for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2023 season. He subsequently participated in the inaugural season of Uttar Pradesh-based UP T20 2023 League, where he turned up for the Noida Super Kings franchise.

As he continues to enhance his T20 profile, Kumar returned to Uttar Pradesh’s T20 setup earlier this month for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023. After delivering a match-winning spell against Tripura, the cricketer took charge of his side’s bowling attack in their 40-run win against Karnataka.

Defending 197, the speedster extinguished Karnataka’s spirited run-chase efforts by claiming each of their final five wickets of the innings. Kumar conceded only 16 runs from his spell, and ended up claiming the fifth five-wicket haul of his T20 career.

Ruturaj Gaikwad also demonstrated his class with the bat on the same day for Maharashtra. India’s Asian Games 2022 winning skipper pounded 102 unbeaten runs from just 51 balls and helped his side chase down Vidarbha’s 177-run total with nearly four overs to spare.

The batting prodigy unleashed 11 boundaries and six sixes to chart his fourth T20 ton.