Nitish Rana to captain Delhi, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 squad
Nitish Rana to captain Delhi, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 squad: The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has announced a 26-man squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025. This time, the captaincy has been handed over to veteran batsman Nitish Rana, who will replace previous captain Ayush Badoni. Badoni will now be part of the team as a specialist batsman.
Captaincy Changes and Squad Highlights
- New Captain: Experienced batsman Nitish Rana has been appointed captain.
- Ayush Badoni: Previous captain Ayush Badoni will now play solely as a batsman.
- Young Talents: Ankit Rajesh Kumar and Yash Bhatia, who performed brilliantly at the U-23 level, have been selected for the senior team for the first time.
A trio of fast bowlers and IPL stars
The team includes Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, and Navdeep Saini as the fast bowling trio, but they will only play if they are available.
The squad also includes some well-known faces from the Indian Premier League (IPL), including Suyash Sharma, Simarjeet Singh, Anuj Rawat, and Prince Yadav.
Digvesh Rathi did not get a place
The most surprising decision in the team selection is the exclusion of young spinner Digvesh Rathi. Rathi performed well for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in this year’s IPL.
Digvesh Rathi’s IPL performance:
Rathi outperformed veteran Ravi Bishnoi, taking 14 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 30.64 and an economy rate of 8.25. His absence has been a topic of discussion within the team.
Delhi’s group and schedule
Delhi has been placed in Elite Group D in SMAT 2025. Rana’s team will play all its group stage matches in Ahmedabad.
- Group D teams: Uttarakhand, Tripura, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Saurashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi.
- First match: Delhi will begin its campaign with a match against Jharkhand.
Also Read: How Abhishek Sharma Became No.1 T20I Batter ?
Delhi’s performance in the Ranji Trophy
Before the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Delhi’s performance in the domestic red-ball tournament, the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, has been poor.
- Recent performance: They recently drew their match against Rajasthan at the Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre.
- Standings: After five matches The team is in sixth place in the group with eight points.
- Waiting for a win: They are yet to win a match in the country’s biggest domestic red-ball tournament.
Delhi Squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025
| Name | Role | Name | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitish Rana (Captain) | Batsman | Anuj Rawat | Wicketkeeper/Batsman |
| Arpit Rana | Batsman | Yash Dhull | Batsman |
| Priyansh Arya | Batsman | Himmat Singh | Batsman |
| Sarthak Ranjan | Batsman | Simranjeet Singh | Bowler |
| Ayush Badoni | Batsman | Rahul Dagar | All-rounder |
| Ayush Doseja | Batsman | Yash Bhatia | Young Player |
| Mayank Rawat | Batsman | Ankit Rajesh Kumar | Young Player |
| Tejaswi | Batsman | Harsh Tyagi | Bowler |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler | Prince Yadav | All-Rounder |
| Mani Grewal | All-Rounder | Rohan Rana | All-Rounder |
| Dhruv Kaushik | All-rounder | Aryan Rana | All-rounder |
| Vaibhav Khandpal | Batsman | *(Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Navdeep Saini – subject to availability)* | Bowler |
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