Fresh from his ODI heroics in South Africa, Ruturaj Gaikwad is all set to return to familiar territory when he takes charge of Maharashtra for the opening phase of the Vijay Hazare Trophy starting on December 24. The Indian batsman will lead the side in their first three matches as domestic cricket in the country focuses firmly on the 50-over format.
The Maharashtra Cricket Association unveiled its 18-man squad on 20 December and confirmed Gaikwad as captain. Maharashtra have been placed in the elite Group C and will begin their campaign against Punjab in Jaipur, with Himachal Pradesh, Mumbai, Uttarakhand, Goa, Chhattisgarh and Sikkim also in the group.
Gaikwad’s return to the national set-up comes against the backdrop of a watershed moment in his international career. Right handed recently hit his maiden ODI century during the South Africa series, reinforcing its growing importance in India’s white-ball plans. With a short window away from national duties, Maharashtra will look to lean heavily on their form and leadership.
Also in the squad is Prithvi Shaw, who switched home allegiance from Mumbai to Maharashtra this season in a bid to revive his domestic fortunes. Shaw captained the team during Gaikwad’s absence during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and made an immediate impact with a blistering 66 off 36 balls against Hyderabad. His move combined with his recent IPL move to Delhi Capitals marks a reset phase in his career.
Adding to the experience in the group are Jalaj Saxena, Rahul Tripathi and Rajneesh Gurbani, while youngsters like Arshin Kulkarni, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Siddhesh Veer and Vicky Ostwal provide depth. The selection reflects Maharashtra’s effort to balance immediate results with long-term planning.
Although Maharashtra narrowly missed out on the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League on sheer pace, they remain well placed across formats. The team reached the semi-finals of the previous Vijay Hazare Trophy and are currently unbeaten in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B with 18 points, second behind Karnataka.
With Gaikwad leading from the front, Maharashtra will look to build on that consistency and start another strong Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign when they take on Punjab on December 24 in Jaipur.
Vijay Hazare Team of Maharashtra: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Prithvi Shaw, Arshin Kulkarni, Siddhesh Veer, Anket Bawane, Rahul Tripathi, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Vicky Ostwal, Jalaj Saxena, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Rajneesh Gurbani, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dahdkhe Solande, Prashant Na Prashant, Solande Siddharth Mhatre, Sachin Dhas, Satyajeet Bachhav.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
December 21, 2025
