Prithvi Shaw is set to take another huge step in his redemption story. According to a report in Sportstar, the 26-year-old will lead the Maharashtra state team in the upcoming 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), getting a promotion in the wake of regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s call-up to the India ODI squad.
The T20 trophy begins on Wednesday, November 26, with Maharashtra’s opening game on Friday against Hyderabad.
The report said that though Maharashtra didn’t name a designated vice-captain in their original squad, the team management had already spoken to Shaw and told him to be prepared to take over, if needed. A formal announcement is expected on Monday.
Gaikwad marked his return to the ODI team for the upcoming three-match series against
South Africa, which begins on November 30, after almost two years. Skipper Shubman Gill’s neck injury, suffered during the ongoing Tests between India and the Proteas, had left a spot open at the top of the order.
Gaikwad last played for India in December 2023 against South Africa in Gqeberha and has featured only in six matches overall, scoring 115 runs at an average of 19.16, with a best score of 71. He’ll likely be behind Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been the reserve opener for many months, in the pecking order and will need to either bat out of position or need a last-minute change to get a chance to start at the top.
Still, his departure has allowed Shaw to take over the team in only his first year after switching allegiances from Maharashtra’s rivals, Mumbai, earlier this year. Shaw wanted more game time, and there won’t be a better opportunity to impress ahead of the IPL 2026 auction (in December) than leading from the front here.
Although he has done well for Maharashtra in red-ball cricket so far, T20 is Shaw’s best format. Last season, he scored 197 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 156.34. He missed the 2023 season, but in 2022, he was the second-highest run-scorer with 332 runs at 181.42.
Updated Maharashtra Squad*: Prithvi Shaw (C), Arshin Kulkarni, Rahul Tripathi, Azim Kazi, Nikhil Naik (WK), Ramakrishna Ghosh, Vicky Ostwal, Tanay Sanghvi, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Mandar Bhandari (WK), Jalaj Saxena, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Yogesh Dongare, and Ranjit Nikam
(*A replacement for Gaikwad, if any, is yet to be announced)
