Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) has announced a 17-member squad for the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, with Rajat Patidar, Arshad Khan and Venkatesh Iyer unavailable for the opening phase. Shubham Sharma will lead the side, while head coach Chandrakant Pandit will oversee the team.
MP reached the quarter-finals last season after topping their group with three wins and four draws from seven matches. They will begin the new campaign against defending champions Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar. MP lost to J&K by 56 runs in last season’s quarter-final at Holkar Stadium in Indore.
Shubham Sharma to Lead Madhya Pradesh in Rajat Patidar’s Absence
Rajat Patidar, who captained Madhya Pradesh last season, will miss the opening matches because he is part of the India A squad for the three-match one-day series against Australia A, starting October 6. Left-arm pacer Arshad Khan is also unavailable for the same reason.
Shubham Sharma will take over the captaincy. The middle-order batter has previously led MP in the Ranji Trophy and can also contribute with his right-arm off-breaks.
The batting group includes Yash Dubey, Harsh Gawli, Himanshu Mantri, Chanchal Rathore, Himanshu Shinde and Atharva Mahajan. Gawli and Mantri give the team two wicketkeeping options, while the younger batters will be expected to add depth in the absence of Patidar.
Venkatesh Iyer will also miss the start of the campaign as he continues his recovery from right shoulder surgery. The left-handed batter and right-arm medium-pacer would have added depth in both departments.
Ravi Kiran Joins MP as Guest Player for 2026-27 Season
Madhya Pradesh have added Andhra fast bowler Ravi Kiran as a guest player for the 2026-27 domestic season. Kiran represented Chhattisgarh in the previous Ranji Trophy campaign and adds another experienced option to the pace attack.
Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen have been included in the fast-bowling department. Kumar Kartikeya and Saransh Jain will lead the spin department, while Shivang Kumar, Aryan Pandey, Anubhav Agarwal, Roshan Kewat and Akshay Sharma provide further bowling options.
Madhya Pradesh will open their 2026-27 Ranji Trophy campaign against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar. The fixture will renew the contest between the teams after J&K eliminated MP in last season’s quarter-final with a 56-run victory at Holkar Stadium.
MP produced a strong league campaign last season, recording wins over Karnataka by 217 runs and Maharashtra by 133 runs while finishing at the top of their group. They also registered four draws from seven matches before reaching the knockout stage.
The 2026-27 Ranji Trophy will feature 32 Elite Group teams divided into four groups and played in two phases. Madhya Pradesh will look to build on last season’s run despite starting the campaign without three familiar players.
Madhya Pradesh Squad for Ranji Trophy 2026-27
Playing Squad: Shubham Sharma (captain), Harsh Gawli (wicketkeeper), Himanshu Mantri (wicketkeeper), Yash Dubey, Chanchal Rathore, Himanshu Shinde, Atharva Mahajan, Saransh Jain, Kumar Karthikeya, Shivang Kumar, Aryan Pandey, Anubhav Agarwal, Roshan Kewat, Akshay Sharma, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen and Ravi Kiran.
Support Staff: Chandrakant Pandit (Head Coach), Abdus Samad Khan (Fielding Coach), Mayank Agrawal (Trainer), Saurabh Khandelwal (Physiotherapist), Jitendra Diyalani (Video Analyst), Yuvraj Jaiswal (Masseur) and Rohan Punekar (Coordinator).
Source: cricketaddictor.com
