Rajat Patidar named Madhya Pradesh captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026

Rajat Patidar has been named captain of Madhya Pradesh for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starting on November 14, NDTV reported. Madhya Pradesh have been drawn in Elite Group C and will play their first four matches in New Chandigarh before shifting to Mohali for their remaining three league fixtures. The opening match is a day-night game against Kerala in New Chandigarh.

What we know about the squad

Patidar, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to IPL titles in 2025 and 2026, may not be available for the entire league phase, according to NDTV.

He and left-arm pace-bowling all-rounder Arshad Khan are scheduled to join the India A squad for the Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha, Qatar, from November 19 to 29. In the India A team, Patidar has been named vice-captain to Tilak Varma, NDTV reported.

Telangana Today noted that Patidar has played three Tests and an ODI for India.

Why it matters

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a domestic Twenty20 cricket championship in India organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. It is named after former Test cricketer Syed Mushtaq Ali, who scored the first overseas Test century by an Indian player. Patidar's appointment follows his back-to-back IPL title wins with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2025 and 2026.

By the numbers

Three Tests and one ODI have been played by Patidar for India, Telangana Today reported. The Rising Stars Asia Cup runs from November 19 to 29. Madhya Pradesh will play seven league matches in the group stage.

What happens next

Madhya Pradesh will begin their campaign against Kerala in a day-night match in New Chandigarh on November 14, NDTV reported. They will then face Assam on November 16, Tripura on November 18 and Andhra on November 20. The team is also scheduled to play Maharashtra on November 22, Himachal Pradesh on November 24 and Puducherry in its final group-stage match on November 26.

Madhya Pradesh league fixtures

Apart from Patidar, batters Akshat Raghuwanshi, Harsh Gawli and Aniket Verma will be expected to shoulder greater responsibility for Madhya Pradesh, NDTV reported.

The squad includes two wicketkeepers in Harsh Gawli and Apoorv Dwivedi, while India pacer Avesh Khan will lead a bowling attack featuring Mangesh Yadav, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Saransh Jain and Shivang Kumar.

Fast bowler Kuldeep Sen has not been selected as he continues to recover from an unspecified injury.

There is still no place in the squad for seam-bowling all-rounder Madhav Tiwari, despite his appearances for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026 and Ujjain Falcons in the Madhya Pradesh League T20 Scindia Cup 2026.

Should Patidar leave after the game against Assam to join the India A squad, the Madhya Pradesh team management, led by Chandrakant Pandit, will need to name a stand-in captain for the remaining games.

Related on Apex Sports News

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi appointed Bihar captain for first two Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games

• Mohammed Shami Included In Bengal Squad For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

• Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026: Mayank, Shreyas left out of Karnataka squad; Manish Pandey returns

Sources

• NDTV Sports

• telanganatoday.com

• Photo: PDPics, Pixabay Content License (Pixabay)