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Prithvi Shaw gets a major role in the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad, ahead of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season. The cricket board of Maharashtra has declared Shaw as the captain of the state team for one match of the upcoming Ranji Trophy campaign.
The controversial opener will be seen leading the side against the Services in their first Elite Group C match from October 11 to 14 at Palam A Stadium in Delhi. Prithvi Shaw has been appointed as the captain of the team as, at the time of the match, their regular skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad, will not be available for the Ranji Trophy matches.
Prithvi Shaw will lead Maharashtra in the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwad, on the other side, was named as the captain of the India A cricket team for a One Day format tournament against the Australia A cricket team. These unofficial ODIs will be played on October 6, 9, and 11, and the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season gets underway from October 11.
As Ruturaj Gaikwad will be busy with the India A cricket team, the onus to lead the Maharashtra cricket team will be on Shaw's shoulders. It is the second time that the top-order batter is picked for a leadership role in a major tournament. Shaw gained experience in leadership when he used to play for the India U-19 cricket team at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2018.
Prithvi Shaw was Maharashtra's highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy 2025-26
Prithvi Shaw, who is basically from Mumbai, shifted his base from his state of origin to Maharashtra ahead of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season in search of better opportunities. In the previous season with Maharashtra, he scored 537 runs in 11 innings to finish as the team’s highest run-scorer.
Along with naming Shaw as the stopgap captain of the team, the state cricket governing body has picked senior batter Ankeet Bawane, spinner Vicky Ostwal, all-rounder Rajvardhan Hangargekar and fast bowler Mukesh Choudhary for the match against Services.
Multiple youngsters in Maharashtra's Ranji Trophy squad
Additionally, in a significant move, the cricket board has taken another significant step by adding three emerging cricketers in the form of Saurabh Navale, Sachin Dhas and Rishikesh Sonawane, who have been selected for the Maharashtra Ranji team, despite having limitations in their grassroots-level infrastructure.
"This feat is expected to inspire a new generation of cricketers in the district," said Beed District Cricket Association (BDCA) secretary Amer Saleem on the emergence of three young cricketers at once.
Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw's last recorded official match was during the recently concluded Duleep Trophy season, where he played for the West Zone against the North Zone. The right-handed batter scored 22 and 6 in the first and second innings of the match, respectively, as an opener.
Maharashtra squad for Ranji Trophy opener against Services: Prithvi Shaw (C), Sachin Dhas, Digvijay Patil, Ankeet Bawane, Harshal Kate, Siddhesh Veer, Saurabh Navale (WK), Vicky Ostwal, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mukesh Choudhary, Pradeep Dadhe, Tanay Sanghvi, Vaibhav Darkunde, Hitesh Walunj, Rishikesh Sonawane, Atharva Dharmadhikari.
