The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to name Prithvi Shaw as Maharashtra’s captain for the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
The MCA had announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as skipper just two days ago in their 16-man squad for the domestic T20 tournament. However, since he’s been called for the India vs South Africa ODI series, Gaikwad can’t lead Maharashtra.
Prithvi Shaw named Maharashtra captain
Surprisingly, MCA hadn’t named a designated vice-captain. According to Sportstar, the board has decided to pick Prithvi as Gaikwad’s replacement. The official announcement will be made on November 24, just two days before Maharashtra play their SMAT opener against Jammu & Kashmir.
The selectors and management had already informed Prithvi about stepping up if Gaikwad had to leave and being prepared to lead the team when the time comes. Prithvi’s promotion couldn’t have come at a better time since he wishes to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) after going unsold in the auction last year.
Prithvi’s been in splendid touch since switching states from Mumbai to Maharashtra. In the first leg of the 2025-26 season, Prithvi scored 470 runs at 67.14 in 7 innings. The opener struck one double hundred and three half-centuries.
Maharashtra has been drawn in Group B in SMAT. Apart from Jammu & Kashmir, they’ll face Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Goa. All of their league stage matches will be played in Kolkata.
Maharashtra squad for 2025-26 SMAT
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nikhil Naik, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Jalaj Saxena, Azim Kazi, Arshin Kulkarni, Mukesh Choudhary, Vicky Ostwal, Prashant Solanki, Mandar Bhandari, Yogesh Dongare, Ranjeet Nikam, Tanay Sanghvi
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