SMAT 2025: Hardik Pandya is playing for his home team Vadodara in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the matches of which are being played in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad: Hardik Pandya is considered the most popular fan among Indian cricket fans after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. This intense fan following has been witnessed numerous times. This was also evident two days ago in Hyderabad during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 match, when Hardik returned to the cricket field after a 42-day injury layoff. During the Vadodara-Punjab match, fans broke through security cordons to meet Hardik and entered the field mid-match to take selfies. The video went viral, but it has also caused significant problems for the Hyderabad Cricket Association. After Hyderabad police expressed security concerns, the venue for the Vadodara vs. Gujarat match, scheduled for Thursday (December 4th), was rescheduled late Wednesday night.

Now the competition will be between extra security

According to reports, the match between Vadodara and Gujarat scheduled for December 4th has been shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. Hyderabad Police have deployed an extra layer of security at the stadium for this match. This match was originally scheduled to be played at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad, where Vadodara played its last match against Punjab on December 2nd. However, due to the lack of any proper barrier between the field and the stands at the Gymkhana Ground, fans were easily able to enter the match, forcing the game to be stopped several times. Fans were constantly rushing to meet Hardik Pandya and take selfies with him. This is why Hyderabad Police have deployed additional forces at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

🚨 UPDATE ON SYED MUSHTAQ ALI 🚨

Exclusive - Baroda vs Gujarat match has been moved to Rajiv Gandhi Stadium for extra security due to the Craze for Hardik Pandya in Hyderabad. 👌 pic.twitter.com/uzV3J9txN2

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 3, 2025

Hardik had to save the fan from the police.

Several videos from the last match went viral on social media. In one video, a fan is seen running from the stands to Hardik Pandya, who was heading towards his fielding position after finishing his over. A security guard also runs after this fan and tries to grab him and take him out. The video shows the fan running and touching Hardik's feet and requesting a selfie. Hardik stopped the security guard and took a selfie with him. However, during this time, the security guard grabbed the fan from behind and almost dragged him out. Even after this, several fans entered the field and reached Hardik.

Hardik showed a great game with the bat.

Hardik Pandya didn't have a great match with the ball against Punjab. He took one wicket for 52 runs in four overs against explosive fifties from Abhishek Sharma and Anmolpreet Singh, but he played a stellar innings with the bat. Hardik scored an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls, including seven fours and four sixes, helping his team win the match by seven wickets. This innings thoroughly entertained the spectators, who had come to the ground to witness Abhishek and Hardik's explosive performances.

PC:NBT