India batter Prithvi Shaw and domestic veteran Jalaj Saxena have been named in Maharashtra’s 16-member squad for the Ranji Trophy season starting October 15. Ankeet Bawane will lead the team as the full-time captain.
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| Image Source: NDTVSports |
Maharashtra is in Group B, alongside Kerala (last season’s runners-up), Saurashtra, Chandigarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Goa. Their first match will be an away game against Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram from October 15 to 18.
The squad also features India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has captained Maharashtra in the past. The selectors preferred experienced players, picking Pradeep Dadhe over Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Both Shaw and Saxena joined Maharashtra ahead of this season. Shaw moved from Mumbai after a difficult period where he lost his spot in the red-ball team. He hopes this new start will help him revive his career. Saxena made his debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2005-06, later joined Kerala in 2016-17, and played in last year’s Ranji final, which Kerala lost to Vidarbha.
In the previous Ranji season (2024-25), Maharashtra finished fifth in Elite Group A. They recorded two wins, two draws, and three losses in seven matches.
Maharashtra Ranji Trophy Squad:
Ankeet Bawane (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw, Arshin Kulkarni, Siddhesh Veer, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Mandar Bhandari (wk), Jalaj Saxena, Vicky Ostwal, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Pradeep Dadhe, Hitesh Walunj, Siddharth Mhatre, Harshal Kate, Rajneesh Gurbani.