Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who is a part of Haryana’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad, on Thursday said that he will be unable to participate in the team’s final match against Jharkhand due to being down with dengue and chikungunya. First-time finalists Jharkhand and Haryana have had a dream run into the summit clash, after having dominated their respective groups in the campaign.
“Wishing my team Haryana all the very best for the SMAT finals. I wished to be a part of the team but unfortunately I am down with dengue and chikungunya, which have really taken a toll on my health.
The doctors have asked to focus only on rest and recovery. I’ll be back to the field and bowling to my full strength soon,” Chahal posted on X.
Chahal played the first 3 matches for Haryana in SMAT and took 3 wickets. He did not play the rest of the group stage as well as the super league stage.
Wishing my team Haryana all the very best for the SMAT finals. I wished to be a part of the team but unfortunately I am down with dengue and chikungunya, which have really taken a toll on my health.
The doctors have asked to focus only on rest and recovery.
I’ll be back to the…— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) December 18, 2025
Both Haryana and Jharkhand have had superior runs through their league stage campaigns with Jharkhand notching up nine straight victories before the late blip against Andhra in their last Super League game. Despite a few defeats, Haryana qualified as the second-placed team from Elite Group C and even went onto top a group that comprised last year’s champions, Mumbai, to make it to their maiden final. The SMAT has seen similar dominant runs in the past too.
Tamil Nadu are the most successful side in the tournament’s history with three titles. TN also won the first edition held in 2006-07. Karnataka, Gujarat and Baroda have won the title on two occasions each. Mumbai joined them after winning their second title, beating Madhya Pradesh by six wickets in the SMAT 2024-25 final last December.