Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Team of the Tournament

While the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy may not be as popular as it's more glamorous cousin, the Indian Premier League, it still delivers when it comes entertainment and good cricket. All the Indian stars, who actively took part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy didn't due to international commitments, but that did nothing to reduce the quality of the cricket.There were plenty of former, present and even future Indian players had a tournament to remember and will be hoping their impressive performances lead to a spot in either the Indian side or at least a lucrative IPL contract.Players like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina didn't play enough matches to make the cut. Here is the best XI from the tournament:

#1 Parthiv Patel

Patel led from the front and continued his impressive form

After guiding Gujarat to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Parthiv Patel had his eye on another trophy and batted like a man who wanted a domestic double. Although that didn't eventually work out as they went out in the Super League stage, his performance was still good enough for a spot in this side.

Parthiv finished as the tournament's fourth-highest run-scorer with 337 runs from 9 matches at an average of 42 and strike rate in excess of 160. He was also the only batsman to score four fifties in the tournament.

#2 Aditya Tare (WK)

Tare was a pillar of composure and confidence for Mumbai

The similarities between the two openers are almost too good to be true. Much like Parthiv Patel, Tare also captains his side. Like the former Indian international, Tare is also a wicketkeeper and he was also leading scorer in the tournament for his side, like Parthiv.

In many ways, although Mumbai missed out on a spot in the final thanks to net run rate, they have their captain to thank for leading from the front. Tare's 311 runs came at an impressive average in excess of 50 and a commendable strike rate of almost 140.

#3 Rohan Prem

Prem was Kerala's shining light

One of the main reasons why Kerala were only net run rate away from being in the final of the tournament, it was because of their No.3 Rohan Prem. Although Sanju Samson also played well, it was the unfancied Prem who outshone everyone else in the Kerala batting lineup.

Prem finished the tournament as the second-leading run scorer with 356 runs at an average of almost 45. Although his strike of just under 120 isn't particularly impressive, he steadied the ship for Kerala on more than one occasion and his three fifties are proof of his consistency throughout the tournament, which almost helped his side reach the final.

#4 Shreyas Iyer

Iyer continues to impress

When India are picking players like Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra, who are most certainly not the future, it makes little sense why young Shreyas Iyer is nowhere in the picture. After an impressive outing in last year's IPL for Delhi Daredevils, Iyer has simply gone on from strength to strength.

His 284 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy came at an average of 35.5 and a strike rate of almost 150, once again showing that he is well-equipped to handle the rigors of the format, despite being a classical stroke-maker. One assumes that it is only a matter of time before the Indian management comes to their right decision of picking Shreyas Iyer, one of the country's brightest young talents.

#5 Hardik Pandya

Pandya will arrive in Australia in splendid form

Along with Irfan Pathan, Hardik Pandya was the other main reason why Baroda reached the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Although he was used primarily as a top-order who bowled out his quota of overs only if the conditions were conducive, Pandya still finished as the tournament's top scorer and with 10 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 6.5.

His 377 runs came at an impressive average of almost 54 and a strike rate of over 130. He also hit 19 sixes in the tournament, only Rana (Delhi) had more. He will fly to Australia for the T20 leg of the series in sublime form and India will need him to be on his game from the start as they look to bounce back from a disappointing ODI series defeat.

#6 Nitish Rana

Rana was deadly in the death overs

Although Delhi didn't make much of an impression in the Super League stage, they came into it on the back of six successive wins, thanks largely to the big hitting prowess of Nitish Rana, who showcased his finishing capabilities throughout the tournament.

Although he was unlucky to miss out on a hundred against Andhra, he still got three fifties in the tournament - only Parthiv Patel has more.

What was impressive about Rana's runs wasn't that he scored one shy of 300 runs in his 8 innings or that he averaged over 40, both of which are impressive feats on their own, but the fact that he scored those runs at a strike rate of 175 with 25 fours and 21 sixes was evidence of his ability to clear the ropes at will.

#7 Irfan Pathan (C)

Pathan led from the front with both bat and ball

Some player thrive when they are give extra responsibility, while others flounder under the added pressure. On the evidence of his performance in the recently-concluded tournament, where he was appointed as Baroda's captain, Irfan Pathan certainly falls under the former category.

Irfan finished as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets at an incredible strike rate of 12.9 and an economy rate of 7.3. Not only did he contribute with the ball, he also scored 200 runs at an average of 40 and an impressive strike rate of over 150.

His all-round heroics though deserted him in the final, as he was expensive with the ball and failed to deliver with the bat. Still, his numbers throughout the tournament were nothing short of exceptional and was unlucky to miss the cut for the Indian T20 squad for the series against Australia.

#8 Piyush Chawla

Chawla was the best spinner in the tournament

Piyush Chawla may be the only member from the victorious Uttar Pradesh side that lifted the trophy, but he is not just here to make up the numbers. The fact that more players from UP aren't in the team just shows how much of a team effort it was by Suresh Raina's side.

Chawla was the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, but the spinner with the most wickets. While most of the good work in the tournament has been done by the pacers, Chawla's numbers are proof that it wasn't entirely skewed in favour of any particular skill-set.

Chawla finished with 15 wickets from 9 matches at an economy rate of under 6, which is phenomenal for a leg spinner and his average and strike rate, both of which were under 15 aren't bad either.

#9 Cheepurapalli Stephen

Stephen(L) delivered the breakout performance of the tournament

Cheepurapalli Veeraghavulu Stephen isn't a name that is likely to ring a bell among many cricket fans. Yet, for Indian fans who turned out to watch Andhra Pradesh in the tournament, he quickly became a household name for his exploits with the new ball.

The left arm seamer, who just turned 22 last month, began with an impressive spell of 4-0-5-0 in their loss against Madhya Pradesh. That would turn out to be a recurring occurence as he turned in match-winning performance in every game, only the batsmen to spoil the party.

In his 6 matches, he picked up 14 wickets, which included a run of three matches that saw him pick up at least 4 wickets in each match. His average of 8.5 is the best of any bowler in the tournament and his economy rate of 5.8 and strike rate of 8.7 aren't too shabby either.

#10 Nathu Singh

Nathu Singh combined express pace with immaculate control

When you are name checked by Rahul Dravid as someone to watch out for, you know you are onto a special player. Through his performances for Team Rajasthan, Nathu Singh showed that Dravid wasn't wrong, as usual.

The fast bowler, who had earlier proclaimed that he wanted to bowl as fast as he could, ended as the tournament's joint-fourth leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps from his 6 matches. His economy rate of 5 is simply unbelievable, while his average of 8.5 and strike rate of just 10.2 show that he is economical and also effective at picking up wickets.

Although his team didn't manage to make much of an impression in the tournament, with his two four-wicket hauls, Nathu Singh certainly made everyone sit up and take notice.

#11 RP Singh

RP was both economical and effective at picking up wickets

The battle for the last pacer slot was between two members of Gujarat's pace attack. Jasprit Bumrah and RP Singh both picked up 14 wickets in their 9 matches, but the latter just edges into the squad thanks to more match-winning performances, compared to Bumrah, who has been more of a workhorse seamer.

Although he is the third left arm seamer in this side, his figures indicate that unlike some left armers, he is both accurate and effective. An economy rate of just over 6 and an average and strike rate under 16 are testament to that.