In the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Tamil Nadu & Karnataka contested in an evenly fought contest which was ultimately won by the defending champions Tamil Nadu. However, this wouldn't have been possible without the upcoming & promising 26-year-old Sharukh Khan's match-winning performance.
Tamil Nadu, while chasing 152 in 20 overs, were struggling at 95/4 in 15.2 overs, requiring another 57 runs in 28 balls. Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan 41 runs off 46 balls but apart from him none of the batters looked to stay at the crease.
Moreover, KC Cariappa picked up 2 back-to-back wickets in the 16th over. However, then came the Punjab Kings' prodigy, Shahrukh Khan. He played an unbeaten knock of 33 runs off 15 balls with 1 four & 3 sixes. On the last ball of the match, Tamil Nadu required 5 runs to win their second consecutive SMAT title.