Ranking the top 3 favorites to win SMAT 2024-25 title ahead of the quarterfinals ft. Baroda

This year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has been an exciting tournament with several international cricketers participating in it. From Hardik Pandya to Suryakumar Yadav to Mohammed Shami, among others, have lit up the tournament at some point in the tournament.

After grueling league games and pre-quarterfinals, eight teams have confirmed their berths in the top eight - Bengal, Baroda, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Vidarbha, Saurashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

The first quarterfinal will see Bengal go up against Baroda on December 11, while Madhya Pradesh will square off against Saurashtra in the third quarterfinal. Mumbai and Vidarbha will meet each other, while Delhi will take on Uttar Pradesh for a place in the semi-final.

The KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur and the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host all four games - two each.

With the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy inching towards its business end, let's rank three favorite teams to win the domestic T20 competition.

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#1 Baroda

With Krunal Pandya leading the team and Hardik Pandya in full flow, Baroda have been tipped as the favorite to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy right from the beginning.

They have also played like favorites, topping Group B on their way to the quarter-final. They won six out of seven games, finishing with 24 points. Their only defeat in the tournament so far came against Saurashtra.

While they don't boast many heavyweight names, the team has performed like a well-oiled machine, with players stepping up as and when necessary. They are coming on the back of a record-breaking 263-run victory over Sikkim and will hope to bank on it before the next game.

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#2 Mumbai

No matter how Mumbai play, you cannot rule out a heavyweight team like them while ranking the favorites to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

They finished second in Group E table below Andhra with 20 points from six matches. Their only defeat in the tournament came against Kerala. While they haven't performed like champions in the league phase, Mumbai have stars who can turn things in a blink of an eye.

Led by Shreyas Iyer, Mumbai have the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, and Shivam Dube in their batting lineup. Shardul Thakur leads the bowling unit alongside Tanush Kotian, and Shams Mulani.

If the team fires in unison, there is no stopping Mumbai from taking them the trophy home.

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#3 Bengal

They were nowhere close to winning the title when the tournament began. However, they have gone from strength to strength with each passing game and are now one of the title contenders.

Despite missing the likes of Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, who are with the Indian team in Australia, Mohammed Shami haas been spectacular on his return from injury. He has picked up nine wickets in eighth games, with the best figures of 3/21 against Hyderabad.

The batting has also fired, with young guns Abishek Porel and Karan Lal scoring runs consistently. Shahbaz Ahmed's presence in the middle order also boost the team's chances.

If Bengal can play to their potential, they would give opponent teams a run for their money for the coveted title.