Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Image Credit: Twitter)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Team India’s latest batting phenomenon, Ruturaj Gaikwad, has been rewarded with his stellar form of late and is set to lead the Maharashtra side in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).

The tournament begins on November 4 with Maharashtra being placed in Elite Group A. They will play all their matches in Lucknow, starting with the opener against Tamil Nadu. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed as the skipper. He recently finished IPL 2021 season as the top-scorer with 635 runs. Naushad Sheikh has been named as his deputy.

Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Photo: IPL)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman, Rahul Tripathi, was the regular vice-captain but he failed to make it to the side as he couldn’t recover from his groin injury in time. He had sustained the unfortunate injury during the IPL final between CSK and KKR on October 15.

Rahul Tripathi, Siddhesh Veer, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar were replaced by Swapni Gugale, Pawan Shah, and Jagdish Zope. Tripathi, who was made vice-captain could not recover from his groin injury which occurred during IPL finals and hence Naushad Shaikh was made vice-captain. Siddhesh Veer fractured his middle finger and Rajvardhan Hangargekar was selected to play U-19 Challenger Trophy tournament,” Maharashtra CA Secretary, Riyaz Bagban, said in a press release.

Kedar Jadhav, India, ICC T20 World Cup 2021
Kedar Jadhav. (Photo- Getty)

Veteran batsman, Kedar Jadhav also found himself a spot in the side. Despite being out of form, he is one of the most experienced players in the lineup and will be expected to play a crucial role in the middle overs. The bowling attack also looks promising with the likes of Pradeep Dadhe and Mukesh Choudhary in the ranks.

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The Maharashtra squad that Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Naushad Shaikh (vc), Kedar Jadhav, Yash Nahar, Azim Kazi, Ranjeet Nikam, Satyajeet Bachhav, Taranjitsingh Dhillon, Mukesh Choudhary, Ashay Palkar, Manoj Ingle, Pradeep Dadhe, Shamshuzama Kazi, Swapnil Fulpagar, Divyang Hinganekar, Sunil Yadav, Dhanrajsingh Pardeshi, Swapnil Gugale, Pawan Shah, and Jagdish Zope.

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