Rajat Patidar and Sanju Samson named captains for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Rajat Patidar will lead Madhya Pradesh while Sanju Samson returns to captain Kerala in the upcoming tournament.
Rajat Patidar has been appointed captain of Madhya Pradesh for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which begins on November 14, according to Telangana Today. Sanju Samson has also been named captain of the Kerala team for the tournament, Prabhat Khabar reported.
Madhya Pradesh has been drawn in Elite Group C and will play their first four matches in New Chandigarh before moving to Mohali for the remaining three games. Patidar, who led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to IPL titles in 2025 and 2026, may be unavailable for the entire league phase as he and Arshad Khan are scheduled to join the India A team for the Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar from November 19 to 29.
The Madhya Pradesh squad includes Avesh Khan, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, and Aniket Verma. Pacer Kuldeep Sen was not selected due to an unspecified injury, while Madhav Tiwari was also left out of the squad. The team will open their campaign against Kerala on November 14.
Kerala, which is also in Group C, will face Madhya Pradesh in their opening match. The 18-member Kerala squad features Vishnu Vinod, Rohan Kunnummal, and Mohammed Azharuddeen. The team aims to improve on last season when they finished fourth in Group A under Samson's leadership.
The group also includes Andhra, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry, and Tripura. The Hindu reported that Maharashtra features Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, while Andhra includes experienced players such as Ricky Bhui and Ashwin Hebbar.