Former Indian U-19 World Cup winner, Smit Patel is set to play in the Caribbean Premier League 2021 scheduled to be hosted from August 28 in St Kitts and Nevis of the tropical islands. The 28-year-old right-handed batsman-keeper shocked the Indian cricketing circles when his name was included in the Barbados Tridents squad.
Having shot to fame in 2012 when he forged a match-winning partnership with skipper Unmukt Chand to lead India to a U-19 World Cup triumph, Patel has not been able to establish himself in the Indian domestic scene in recent years.
His inclusion in the Tridents squad means that Patel will be the second Indian cricketer to play in the Caribbean Premier League after Pravin Tambe, who played in the franchise tournament in 2020.
Claim to fame
Starting off their 2012 U-19 World Cup campaign with a defeat against West Indies, the young brigade bounced back strongly and managed to win all their remaining matches to lift the title.
After restricting Australia to a moderate total of 225, the Indian junior team seemed to be under the pump getting reduced to 97/4 in the 25th over. However, it was an astonishing fightback from skipper Unmukt Chand and Smit Patel which helped India claw their way back into the game and win the final with six wickets remaining.
While Unmukt Chand played the attacking role to perfection and scored a hundred, Smit Patel played the perfect foil for Chand as he rotated the strike along perfectly and found the boundaries in crucial junctures of the game. Patel remained unbeaten on 62 of 84 deliveries which included four boundaries and shared an unbeaten 130 runs stand with his skipper.
Is he eligible to play in the CPL?
While Patel hasn’t announced his retirement from India cricket, his entry in CPL effectively means he has called it quits from any forms of cricket in India.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India rules state that an Indian player cannot take part in any overseas leagues until he retires from the Indian cricketing circuit (domestic and international) and IPL.
Pravin Tambe was the first Indian to play in the CPL plying his trade for the Trinbago Knight Riders.
Tambe was picked in the 2020 IPL by the Kolkata Knight Riders but was removed from the final list after it was learnt that he had already played in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. He played the Caribbean Premier League after retiring from the Indian circuit.
Domestic career and recent form
Following his claim to fame in U-19 Cricket, Patel soon made his first-class debut for Gujarat in November 2012. After missing out in the first innings, he made his presence felt with a fluent 60 against Madhya Pradesh. He then subsequently moved to Goa before finishing his domestic career with Baroda.
Patel played for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year. He scored a classy 73 in his last Vijay Hazare clash against his former team Gujarat. However, he wasn’t in the best of touch in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Patel has so far played 55 first-class matches, 43 List A and 28 T20 matches.
Plans for future
It’s never easy for someone in India to realise their dream of playing cricket. At the age of 28 years, Smit Patel has moved to the USA in order to realise his dream of playing international cricket. When his name sprung up in the CPL drafts list it became clear that he has retired from Indian cricket.
However, what made heads turns was his registration as a Major League Cricket player. This effectively means that he has permanently shifted to the United States of America. He has already played a few practice matches of the Major Cricket League and is hoping to reinvent his career there.