Amid the BCCI’s push for all centrally contracted players to play in domestic cricket, former India captain Rohit Sharma conformed his availability for Mumbai to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Tournament.
He made the decision during the ongoing India vs South Africa ODI series, despite having retired from T20Is last year.
According to a report in TOI, Rohit informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) of his availability for the knockout stages. He will travel directly to Indore, the venue for Mumbai’s matches, after the third ODI against South Africa on 6 December in Visakhapatnam.
Mumbai has won all its league matches and is currently at the top of the table. The SMAT knockouts are scheduled to take place between 12 and 18 December. An MCA official told the national daily, “He has expressed his desire to play for Mumbai in the knockouts of SMAT.”
Why did Rohit decide to play in SMAT?
Having already retired from T20Is and Tests, Rohit only plays one format. With the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind, concerns have been raised over his limited game time in international cricket in the lead-up to the grand event. Hence the the Indian team management wants both Rohit and Virat Kohli to play domestic cricket to remain match fit all the time.
After the third ODI against South Africa on 6 December, Indian will play ODIs in January next year against New Zealand with nearly a month’s gap in between. Playing in SMAT will help Rohit to stay in the game
The last time Rohit played a match for SMAT was in the 2011/12 season. Earlier this year, Rohit played a Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir in January. Mumbai had lost that game at the BKC ground.
Like Rohit, Kohli too plays only one format after quitting Tests and T20Is. Notably, both have committed to playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier domestic one-day cricket competition. Rohit also opted to play for SMAT.
Why is Rohit playing in SMAT despite quitting T20Is?
Rohit’s decision to play in SMAT also comes from the fact that the right-handed opener will be representing the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Since retiring from T20Is in 2024, Rohit’s only T20 exposure came in IPL 2025.
Even if he gets at least two to three matches in the SMAT knockouts, it will help the five-time IPL-winning captain to get to know where he stands in the shortest format.