Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 Preview

India’s domestic white-ball season begins on Saturday, November 14, 2026, as the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 gets under way across four cities. Thirty-eight teams — 32 in the Elite groups and six in the Plate group — will play the country’s premier domestic T20 tournament over three weeks, with the final scheduled for December 6 in Nagpur. Defending champions Jharkhand return to defend a title they won for the first time last season, while a 14-year-old captain, a new-look Mumbai and a Karnataka-Bengal blockbuster headline an opening day that features 19 matches.

The Ranji Trophy’s first phase ended on November 5, and the focus now shifts to the shortest format. Here is our full Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 preview — the format, the groups, the opening-day fixtures and the players and teams to watch.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 Format and Key Dates

The 2026-27 edition is the 19th Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the BCCI’s domestic T20 championship for state teams. The 32 Elite teams are split into four groups of eight, and each team plays seven league matches. The top two teams from each group qualify for the Super League, and the two Super League group toppers meet in the final.

Stage	Dates	Venue
Elite league stage	November 14-26, 2026	Mumbai, Indore, Kolkata, Mohali
Plate group	November 14-24, 2026	Nagaland
Super League and final	November 30 – December 6, 2026	Nagpur
Final	December 6, 2026	Nagpur

The Plate group, featuring six teams, is hosted by Nagaland at the Nagaland Cricket Stadium and the Sovima Cricket Ground in Chumoukedima. The Plate final will be played on November 24.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 Groups and Venues

Group	Venue	Teams
Elite Group A	Mumbai	Baroda, Bengal, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
Elite Group B	Indore	Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Railways, Saurashtra, Tamil Nadu
Elite Group C	Mohali and New Chandigarh	Andhra, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Tripura
Elite Group D	Kolkata	Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Vidarbha
Plate Group	Nagaland	Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Services, Sikkim

Defending Champions Jharkhand and the Ishan Kishan Story

Jharkhand are the defending champions after winning the 2025-26 season — their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. They beat Haryana by 69 runs in the final at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on December 18, 2025, after posting 262 for 3. Captain Ishan Kishan scored 101 off 49 balls in the final and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 517 runs at a strike rate of 197.12, including a 51-ball century in the title decider.

Kishan will not be available for Jharkhand’s title defence at the start of the season — he is away on India duty in New Zealand, where he is vice-captain and wicketkeeper for the ODI series. Anukul Roy is set to lead the defending champions in his absence, and Jharkhand open their campaign against Mizoram at the Wankhede Stadium at 11 AM on November 14.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Opening Day Fixtures on November 14

All 16 Elite games and three Plate games are played on the opening day, with Elite matches starting at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM IST.

Elite matches starting at 9 AM IST

Match	Venue
Hyderabad vs Mumbai	Jadavpur University Second Campus, Kolkata
Chandigarh vs Baroda	Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai
Punjab vs Haryana	Daly College Ground, Indore
Maharashtra vs Puducherry	IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

Elite matches starting at 11 AM IST

Match	Venue
Mizoram vs Jharkhand	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Saurashtra vs Bihar	Holkar Stadium, Indore
Tripura vs Andhra	PCA International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh
Gujarat vs Odisha	Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Elite matches starting at 1:30 PM IST

Match	Venue
Rajasthan vs Uttar Pradesh	Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai
Railways vs Tamil Nadu	Daly College Ground, Indore
Himachal Pradesh vs Assam	IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Vidarbha vs Goa	Jadavpur University Second Campus, Kolkata

Elite matches starting at 4:30 PM IST

Match	Venue
Uttarakhand vs Chhattisgarh	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Karnataka vs Bengal	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Jammu and Kashmir vs Delhi	Holkar Stadium, Indore
Madhya Pradesh vs Kerala	PCA International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh

Plate matches on November 14

Match	Time (IST)	Venue
Nagaland vs Meghalaya	8:30 AM	Nagaland Cricket Stadium
Arunachal Pradesh vs Manipur	8:30 AM	Sovima Cricket Ground
Services vs Sikkim	1:00 PM	Nagaland Cricket Stadium

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Opening Day Matches to Watch

Karnataka vs Bengal, 4:30 PM, Wankhede Stadium. The marquee clash of the opening day. Karnataka, two-time champions, take on a Bengal side packed with domestic pedigree in the evening game at the Wankhede. With both teams in a group that also holds defending champions Jharkhand and Rajasthan, neither can afford a slow start.

Hyderabad vs Mumbai, 9 AM, Kolkata. Mumbai, the 2024-25 champions and two-time winners, begin their campaign in the first match of the day. Mumbai have been the most consistent side in the tournament’s recent history, and a win over Hyderabad would set the tone in a Group D that also includes Gujarat, Vidarbha and Hyderabad.

Punjab vs Haryana, 9 AM, Indore. A north-Indian derby to open Group B. Punjab are led by seam-bowling all-rounder Ramandeep Singh, with a squad that includes Prabhsimran Singh, Uday Saharan, Sanvir Singh, Harpreet Brar and the experienced Umesh Yadav. Haryana, last season’s beaten finalists, will want to prove that their run to the Pune final was no one-off.

Saurashtra vs Bihar, 11 AM, Holkar Stadium. The most talked-about match of the opening day. Teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will lead Bihar’s senior side for the first time, captaining the state team in the national T20 championship. Bihar open against a Saurashtra side with a proud white-ball record, and every eye in Indian domestic cricket will be on the young captain’s first outing in charge.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Teams to Watch in 2026-27

Mumbai. The 2024-25 champions, who beat Madhya Pradesh in that season’s final, are always among the favourites. Their depth of white-ball talent and big-match experience make them the team to beat in Group D.

Tamil Nadu. The most successful team in the tournament’s history with three titles. They open against Railways at 1:30 PM on November 14 and will expect to come out of a tough Group B that also has Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Saurashtra.

Karnataka. Two-time champions with a history of producing India internationals through this tournament. Their group-stage meeting with Bengal on the opening day is an early test of their title credentials.

Jharkhand. The defending champions, even without Ishan Kishan at the start. Their 2025-26 campaign was near-flawless — they won all seven group games — and the core that lifted the trophy in Pune remains the benchmark for the rest of the field.

Delhi and Punjab. Both sides are stacked with players pushing for higher honours, and both are in the same Group B. Their meeting on November 16 is one of the early fixtures to circle, while Punjab’s opener against Haryana is a derby with real edge.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Winners and History

Tamil Nadu lead the honours list with three titles, while Mumbai, Karnataka and Gujarat have each won the tournament twice. The 2019-20 final remains the most dramatic in the competition’s history — Karnataka beat Tamil Nadu by just one run to defend their title. Jharkhand’s 69-run win over Haryana in the 2025-26 final, built on Kishan’s 101 off 49 balls and a total of 262 for 3, was the most one-sided final in recent years and announced a new champion after 18 editions.

Where to Watch Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 in India

Selected matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 will be televised in India on the Star Sports Network, with live streaming on the JioHotstar app and website. Live scores and ball-by-ball updates will be available on the BCCI’s match centre and major cricket websites.

The domestic season continues after the Ranji Trophy’s first phase, which ended on November 5 — read our Ranji Trophy Round 4 preview for how the red-ball leg finished — and the women’s domestic season is in its Super League phase, covered in our Senior Women’s T20 Trophy preview.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 FAQs

When does the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 start?

The tournament starts on Saturday, November 14, 2026, with 19 matches on the opening day — 16 Elite games and three Plate games. The Elite league stage runs until November 26, the Super League and final are in Nagpur from November 30, and the final is on December 6, 2026.

How many teams play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27?

Thirty-eight teams: 32 Elite teams split into four groups of eight, plus six teams in the Plate group hosted by Nagaland.

Who are the defending champions of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy?

Jharkhand, who beat Haryana by 69 runs in the 2025-26 final in Pune. Captain Ishan Kishan scored 101 off 49 balls in the final and was the tournament’s top scorer with 517 runs.

Where can I watch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 live?

Selected matches will be shown on the Star Sports Network in India and streamed live on JioHotstar. Live scores are available on the BCCI match centre and major cricket websites.

Which teams are the favourites for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27?

Mumbai, the 2024-25 champions, start among the favourites alongside three-time winners Tamil Nadu, two-time champions Karnataka and defending champions Jharkhand. The group stage is unforgiving, though — only the top two from each group of eight reach the Super League.