2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was the thirteenth edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a Twenty20 competition that was played in India. It started on 10 January 2021, with the final taking place on 31 January 2021. Karnataka were the defending champions. On 17 December 2020, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the fixtures, with 38 teams split into six groups. Groups A to E had six teams, while the Plate Group had eight teams. The winners from each group progressed to the quarter-finals, along the next two teams in Groups A to E with the most points.