Ishan Kishan led Jharkhand to history with the state side winning their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Friday. The team was rewarded for their efforts with Jharkhand State Cricket Association offering ₹2.8 crore to the winning squad. JSCA promised a further ₹5 crore for the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, with Kishan jokingly urging his teammates to target the same.
“When we started the SMAT, our motivation was something else. We were angry and we wanted to prove a lot of people wrong. But now it has been announced that we will get ₹5 crore. Toh Vijay Hazare Trophy me toh hum jaan laga dege (We will give our all in Vijay Hazare Trophy). We have to forget the ₹2.8 crore and target towards the ₹5 crore,” Ishan said sparking laughter among the crowd.
Ishan kishan and Jharkhand team received 2.8cr as a prize money for SMAT
– Government announced that they will give 5cr if they win VHT
– Ishan Enjoying and boosting his team to Win VHT for that 5cr prize money .Ishan kishan is such a character pic.twitter.com/T5Gs7SasGM
— HomeLander_Raj (@RajHomelander) December 20, 2025
Kishan finished as the highest run-scorer of SMAT 2025 with 517 runs in 10 innings at an average of 57.44. His performance in the tournament underlines his consistency and dominance throughout the competition.
With the triumph, Kishan became the first captain from Jharkhand to lift the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, marking a historic milestone for the state side.
On the back of his SMAT success, Kishan has willed his way into the t20 World Cup 2026 squad. Ishan Kishan last played a T20I for India in November 2023. He has since found himself out of favour due to a multitude of reasons.
However his stellar campaign with Jharkhand has forced a re-think with the selectors pivoting to the Sunrisers Hyderabad star. Kishan displaced Jitesh Sharma from the squad, and will compete with Sanju Samson for a opening slot. It is important to note Kishan and Abhishek both play for the same franchise in IPL.
