LUCKNOW, Nov. 14 -- The new season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be another chance for Uttar Pradesh cricketers to attract scouts from different IPL franchises for the next season of the cash-rich league through their performances. However, it will also be a high-pressure performance season for the newly appointed white-ball coach and former India cricketer Sudeep Tyagi, who is on his maiden mission in this role for Uttar Pradesh cricket. Tyagi's first coaching assignment with UP could determine whether he is also handed charge of the side in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His return carries a special emotional weight as he began his senior career with Uttar Pradesh in the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy and immediately made an impact, taking a ten-wicket match haul on debut against Odisha, including six wickets in the first innings. That breakout season saw him claim 41 wickets, finishing as the country's leading wicket-taker and helping UP reach the Ranji Trophy final. Now, nearly two decades later, he must convert that playing pedigree into coaching results. Uttar Pradesh begin their SMAT campaign in Mumbai on Saturday with the opening match against Rajasthan, and Tyagi's task is to build a side capable of sustaining pressure throughout the shortest format. Tyagi brings credibility from both domestic and international cricket. Across a 13-year career, he took 109 wickets in 41 first-class matches and 47 wickets in 46 limited-overs games, with much of that career representing Uttar Pradesh. He played four ODIs and one T20I for India, with Kumar Sangakkara becoming his first international wicket. Although injuries curtailed what once looked like a longer international journey, his experience with pace bowling, Powerplay tactics, death overs and high-pressure white-ball situations is directly relevant to UP's T20 ambitions. Interestingly, Tyagi is not entering the UP setup as an unknown quantity. He served as a bowling coach in Hyderabad and later worked as head coach of its Under-19 team last season, Hyderabad won the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for the first time in its history under his guidance. In fact, that success gives his appointment substance. He has already been involved with the senior UP squad and conducted camps in Kanpur, giving him an early opportunity to assess the players, understand team dynamics and implement his ideas before the tournament begins. The responsibility on Tyagi is considerable because Uttar Pradesh's white-ball record has not consistently matched its talent pool. The state has produced several prominent cricketers, but turning individual ability into a cohesive, tournament-winning unit remains the challenge. UPCA insiders believe that a strong SMAT showing could earn Tyagi the additional responsibility of coaching the team in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. In that sense, the T20 campaign is both a sporting test and an audition: a deep run would validate the association's faith in him, while early failures would invite scrutiny of his selection calls, tactical flexibility and ability to manage a demanding squad. "It's a good feeling, brother. Coming back to coach the home team, from where I achieved so much, and picking up from where we had left, it's a good feeling, but also a big responsibility," Sudeep Tyagi said on Friday. The former fast bowler acknowledged that handling a talent-rich UP side comes with its own expectations. "Coaching a state like UP is not easy because there is so much talent here. It's a big role to justify that talent," he said. Tyagi admitted there is pressure on him as he returns after a long gap, but said he is looking forward to the role. "I am excited, but also a little nervous. We are coming back after so many years, so there is definitely pressure to perform," he said. "You have to perform everywhere, not just in UP. But coaching the home team is enjoyable, and the boys are very good." He also said the current UP squad has enough depth, even though two key players have moved on to bigger opportunities. "Our team is very good. If Rinku Singh and Vipraj Nigam had been available for the white-ball format, it would have been even better for us. But they have moved up, which is good for them," he said....