Venkatesh Iyer was chosen by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) on Thursday to captain their men’s senior squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy league stage, which will take place in Ahmedabad from December 24 to January 8, 2026.
The 30-year-old Iyer, who won an Indian Premier League (IPL) championship with the Kolkata Knight Riders from 2021 to 2025, was recently selected by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a mini-auction for Rs 7 crore. For Iyer, being appointed captain of Madhya Pradesh is a huge lift.
Experienced Yash Dubey and another IPL star, Kumar Kartikeya, who joined the Rajasthan Royals last year after playing for the Mumbai Indians from 2022 to 2024, are among the other players selected.
Madhav Tiwari has been selected for the 16-man team, subject to fitness, along with Shubham Sharma and Harpreet Singh.
Top players like India internationals Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Prasidh Krishna, who have been selected by their respective states, have made the next Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 more significant.
While Rohit is willing to play for Mumbai in the league, Virat has declared that he is available for Delhi. The defending champions Karnataka have added KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna to their roster.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has mandated that the top players compete in the Vijay Hazare Trophy series, therefore they will represent their respective states. The Board is eager for senior players to play domestic cricket over the three-week window between India’s first ODI against New Zealand on January 11, 2026, and their final Twenty20 International against South Africa in Ahmedabad on December 19.
Madhya Pradesh team for the league stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy:
Captain Venkatesh Iyer, 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, and Madhav Tiwari (subject to fitness).
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