Ishan Kishan slams hundred in SMAT 2025-26 Final; National call up next?

Ishan Kishan smashes a century in SMAT 2025-26 final, finishes as top run-scorer with 517 runs and Jharkhand to victory — is a national recall imminent?

Ishan Kishan’s 517-run avalanche in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-26 has decisively put his name back in bold on the selectors’ notepad, even if a national comeback is still a contest in a crowded wicketkeeper-batter queue. After a while, the left-hander is not just “in the conversation” but forcing it, with both numbers and narrative tilted in his favour.

Back from the fringes
For almost two years, Kishan’s India career has been stuck in neutral, reduced to cameo roles and eventually slipping out of white-ball squads altogether. The emergence and re-emergence of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel meant that Kishan quietly slid down the pecking order, his game drifting in and out of form across IPL and domestic seasons.

SMAT 2025-26 has changed that perception emphatically. The tournament became a stage where an “out-of-favour India keeper” turned into the most feared T20 opener in the competition, reminding everyone of the fearless hitter who once smashed a 200 in ODI cricket.

Read More: SMAT 2025-26: Abhishek Sharma continues to impress, Ishan Kishan makes a statement

SMAT 2025-26: Ishan Kishan’s performance
Ishan Kishan finished SMAT 2025-26 as the leading run-scorer with 517 runs, averaging 57.44 at a staggering strike rate of around 197, elite numbers even by modern T20 standards. Those runs came with volume, consistency and impact: two centuries, and powerplays that effectively killed games inside the first six overs.

The defining image of SMAT 2025-26 is Kishan raising his bat after a 45-ball hundred in the final against Haryana in Pune. Jharkhand, playing their maiden SMAT final, needed their leader to set the tone, and Kishan responded with a 101 off 49 balls, including 10 sixes and six fours, with a strike rate of 200, a pure T20 demolition.

Opening the innings, he launched six sixes inside the powerplay and raised a half-century off just 24 balls, ensuring Jharkhand were ahead of the game from the start. His 177-run stand off 82 balls with Kumar Kushagra for the second wicket broke Haryana’s plans and effectively decided the contest before the halfway mark.

Kishan became only the second batter ever to score a century in a SMAT final, and Jharkhand’s 262-3, the highest total in a SMAT title clash, was built on the foundation of his audacity.

Also, Kishan brought up his century in just 45 balls, making it the third-fastest hundred ever scored in a men’s T20 tournament final. The only quicker final centuries were Mitchell Owen’s blistering 39-ball hundred in the Big Bash League 2024-25 final and Austria’s Karanbir Singh’s 44-ball ton against Romania in the Budapest Cup 2025.

Read More: SMAT 2025-26: Anukul Roy, the fuel behind Jharkhand’s fiery run to the final

Captain Ishan Kishan and Jharkhand’s rise
If this SMAT is remembered for Kishan’s runs, it will also be remembered for Jharkhand’s transformation under his leadership. They were unbeaten through large stretches of the tournament, pulled off the highest-ever chase in SMAT history against Punjab, and handled pressure situations with a maturity that has not always been associated with the state side.

As captain, Kishan brought the best out of his core group. Kumar Kushagra evolved from a promising hitter to a big-game match-winner, hammering 422 runs at a strike rate above 160, including an 86* in the record 236 chase versus Punjab, aside from his destructive 81(38) in the summit clash.

Anukul Roy thrived in the finisher-allrounder role, playing rapid cameos like 37 off 17 in that Punjab chase and finishing the tournament as Player of the Series.

The bowling unit, led by Sushant Mishra and supported by others, regularly defended big totals and struck early blows. Mishra’s 3-27 in the final choked any comeback hopes for Haryana.

Kishan’s tactical clarity stood out. Aggressive fields when on top, licence to his middle order to keep pressing the scoring rate, and smart use of resources in the death overs were some of the glimpses of his fearless approach.

Read More: Know Hemanth Reddy, who scored match-winning 109* for Andhra Pradesh against Punjab in SMAT 2025-26

Where does this leave his India prospects?
On merit, this SMAT campaign has catapulted Ishan Kishan right back into the national conversation. A 500-plus run season at a strike rate near 200, a title-winning hundred in the final, and proven leadership are credentials that selection committees cannot ignore.

However, the reality is that the wicketkeeper-batter lane in Indian white-ball cricket is heavily congested. Rishabh Pant, once fully fit, remains the first-choice across formats because of his match-winning track record.

Sanju Samson, who has finally started stringing together consistent international performance,s will also be preferred. Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma has carved a niche as a pure finisher, a role India value highly in T20s.

Dhruv Jurel, with his temperament and multi-format potential, is seen as a long-term project in both red and white ball.

In that context, Kishan’s SMAT 2025-26 may not guarantee an immediate recall, but it certainly “adds a problem” for selectors in the best possible way. His left-handedness at the top, ability to keep, and now a renewed, more mature game make him a compelling option if form or fitness issues arise among incumbents.

The next big filter is clear. The upcoming IPL will be crucial. If Kishan can carry this domestic form into the tournament, his case will move from domestic standout to undroppable contender.

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