Gwalior, Dec 18 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) on Thursday selected Venkatesh Iyer as captain of their men’s senior team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy league stage, which will be held in Ahmedabad from December 24 to January 8, 2026.
The 30-year-old Iyer was recently picked by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the mini-auction for Rs 7 crore after spending four years at Kolkata Knight Riders from 2021 to 2025, winning an Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Getting the captaincy of Madhya Pradesh is a big boost for Iyer.
Among the other players picked are experienced Yash Dubey, along with another IPL star, Kumar Kartikeya, who last year moved to Rajasthan Royals after playing for Mumbai Indians from 2022 till 2024.
Shubham Sharma and Harpreet Singh are also in the squad for the 16-member squad, in which Madhav Tiwari has been picked, subject to fitness.
Meanwhile, the upcoming edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 has gained importance because of the involvement of top stars like India internationals Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Prasidh Krishna, who have been picked by their respective states.
Virat has confirmed his availability for Delhi, while Rohit is open to playing for Mumbai in the league stage. KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna have been named by defending champions Karnataka in their squad.
The top stars will be representing their respective states because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made it mandatory for the top stars to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy series. With a three-week gap between India’s final T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad on December 19 and the first ODI against New Zealand on January 11, 2026, the Board is keen that senior players utilise the window to play domestic cricket.
Madhya Pradesh squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy league stage:
Venkatesh Iyer (Captain), Harsh Gawli, Himanshu Mantri (WK), Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma, Harpreet Singh, Rishabh Chauhan, Ritik Tada, Kumar Kartikeya, Saransh Jain, Shivang Kumar, Aryan Pandey, Rahul Batham, Tripuresh Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Madhav Tiwari (subject to fitness).
–IANS
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