Newly appointed Gujarat captain Urvil Patel broke records with another century in the opening match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and has auditioned for the CSK management. He now has two of the top 3 fastest centuries by Indians.
The Indian domestic cricket season has started with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to be held from 26th November. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will see many of India’s greatest players playing alongside many new rising stars of the shortest format of the game.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Gujarat played its first match against Services and was successful in winning the match by 8 wickets. Harshal Patel and Ravi Bishnoi all played for Gujarat, but the one who grabbed the attention was Chennai Super Kings star Urvil Patel.
Urvil Patel makes SMAT debut with his second fastest century
Gujarat appointed CSK star Urvil Patel as their captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season, and the batsman produced a stellar performance with the bat to lead his team to a one-sided victory.
Urvil Patel, who came to open the innings, made headlines in the last edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored two breathtaking centuries and broke Rishabh Pant’s former record of fastest SMAT century.
The captain, who finished last season with two extraordinary centuries, almost picked up where he left off. He played a tremendous inning of 119* runs in just 37 balls with the help of 12 fours and 10 sixes.
This innings included a strike rate of over 300, while he broke his own record for scoring another fastest century in the SMAT. He is now one of the three fastest centuries to score a century in T20 cricket for India.
Urvil Patel has three fastest centuries among the top 7 innings by Indians
T20 cricket is all about wild hitting, and the aim is to create maximum impact in the minimum time. The only answer to this has been Urvil Patel.
With a century off 28 balls last season and a century off 31 balls this season, he has already featured in the top 2 twice and then for the third time with another century off just 36 balls, which also came in the same tournament last season.
Fastest T20 centuries by Indians:
28 – Urvil Patel, 2024
28 – Abhishek Sharma, 2024
31 – Urvil Patel, today
32 – Rishabh Pant, 2018
32 – Suryavanshi, 2025
35 – Rohit, 2017
35 – Suryavanshi, 2025
36 – Urvil Patel, 2024
37 – Yusuf Pathan, 2010
CSK should rely on Urvil Patel as their opening batsman in IPL 2026
While CSK did not have confidence in Urvil Patel as their next wicketkeeper batting sensation, they bought Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals and let go of one of their most senior cricketers.
Despite Samson’s presence, CSK should give players like Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel a chance at the top, while experienced players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson can strengthen their middle-order.
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