Rajat Patidar and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named captains for domestic T20 trophy
Rajat Patidar will lead Madhya Pradesh while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi takes charge of Bihar in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Rajat Patidar has been appointed captain of Madhya Pradesh for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which begins on November 14, according to the Free Press Journal. Patidar, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to IPL titles in 2025 and 2026, may be unavailable for the entire league phase as he is scheduled to join the India A team for the Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha, Qatar, from November 19 to 29.
Madhya Pradesh is drawn in Elite Group C and will play four matches in New Chandigarh and three in Mohali. The squad includes Avesh Khan, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, and Shivang Kumar, while pacer Kuldeep Sen has been excluded due to an unspecified injury. If Patidar departs after the second match, the team management led by Chandrakant Pandit will name a stand-in captain.
In a separate announcement, the Bihar Cricket Association named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as captain of the 17-member Bihar squad for the opening two matches of the tournament, The Hindu reported. Suraj Kashyap will serve as vice-captain. Sooryavanshi, who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2026, is also expected to join the India A squad for the Asia Cup in Doha from November 19 to 29.
Bihar is in Group B and will begin their campaign against Saurashtra in Indore on November 14. BCA president Harsh Vardhan stated that the captaincy would allow Sooryavanshi to grow as a leader. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been omitted from Baroda's 15-member squad for the tournament due to injury, according to The News Mill.
Krunal Pandya will captain Baroda, starting their campaign against Chandigarh on November 14.