Overview
- On Dhoni’s advice, Jharkhand appointed Ratan Kumar as head coach and Sunny Gupta as bowling coach before the season.
- JSCA’s Shahbaz Nadeem says Dhoni followed every SMAT game, discussed players’ strengths and weaknesses, and knew detailed stats for each Jharkhand player.
- Jharkhand claimed their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 262 for 3 in the final and a 69-run win over Haryana, the highest total recorded in any T20 tournament final.
- Ishan Kishan finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 517 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate near 197, earning a recall to the Indian camp for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
- Jharkhand navigated a group featuring former champions Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, including a dramatic comeback win over Karnataka, with reports differing on whether they went unbeaten or won 10 of 11.