Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (India) 2021/22

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is the premier domestic Twenty20 cricket championship in India, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Inaugurated in the 2006–07 season as the Inter-State Twenty-20 Tournament, it was renamed in 2010 to honour Syed Mushtaq Ali, who played the first Test century by an Indian in Australia. The tournament sits as the top-tier T20 domestic contest within the Indian cricket pyramid.

Thirty-eight teams participate, comprising the 37 state and regional associations that contest the Ranji Trophy alongside the Railways team. There is no promotion or relegation; participation is automatic for BCCI-affiliated senior state associations. The current format divides the field into five groups. Three groups contain eight teams, while two contain seven. Teams play a round-robin within their group. The winner of each group qualifies directly for the quarter-finals. The best-performing runner-up among the five groups also advances directly. The remaining four runners-up compete in two pre-quarter-final playoff matches, with the winners joining the six qualified teams in the quarter-finals. The knockout stage consists of quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a single-match final.

Tamil Nadu is the most successful team with three titles in 2006–07, 2020–21, and 2021–22. Other multiple winners include Karnataka, Mumbai, Gujarat, and Baroda. The key distinction from the neighbouring Vijay Hazare Trophy is the format: the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a T20 competition, while the Vijay Hazare Trophy is a 50-over List A competition. Both feature the same 38 teams but are scheduled at different times of the year to manage player workload.