The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a T20 cricket tournament annually organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in which domestic players take part.
It is unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which foreign players also participate. It features teams representing states and cities that compete in the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier first-class cricket tournament.
The inaugural edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was was held in 2007 as an Inter-State Twenty-20 Tournament. However, the tournament was renamed in 2010 in honour of Syed Mushtaq Ali, India’s first overseas Test centurion.
The competition started with 27 teams in its first edition, with Tamil Nadu clinching the title under the captaincy of Dinesh Karthik.
Tamil Nadu remains the most successful team in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament with three titles, including back-to-back trophies in the 2020 edition and 2021.
Over the years, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has seen 11 winners from 16 editions. Baroda, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka have won the trophy twice each while Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab have lifted the trophy once.
Punjab are the defending champions, winning their maiden title in 2023.
The competition has added more teams over the years. The 17th edition in 2024 includes 38 teams. The teams have been divided into five groups. Each team in the respective group play one another in a round-robin format. The top two group leaders qualify for the knockouts.
Also Read: Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024: A Comprehensive Guide
Here’s the list of winners of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:
| Edition | Winners | Runners-up |
| 2007 | Tamil Nadu | Punjab |
| 2010 | Maharashtra | Hyderabad |
| 2011 | Bengal | Madhya Pradesh |
| 2012 | Baroda | Punjab |
| 2013 | Gujarat | Punjab |
| 2014 | Baroda | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2015 | Gujarat | Punjab |
| 2016 | Uttar Pradesh | Baroda |
| 2017 | East Zone | Central Zone |
| 2018 | Delhi | Rajasthan |
| 2019 | Karnataka | Maharashtra |
| 2019 | Karnataka | Tamil Nadu |
| 2020 | Tamil Nadu | Baroda |
| 2021 | Tamil Nadu | Karnataka |
| 2022 | Mumbai | Himachal Pradesh |
| 2023 | Punjab | Baroda |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD |
