Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Vidarbha announce squad, Akshay Wadkar to captain

The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) has come forward for the announcement of its 17-member squad for the forthcoming Ranji Trophy 2024-25.

Vidarbha will be led by their wicketkeeper-batter Akshay Wadkar, while left-handed top-order batter Atharva Taide has been named as his deputy. The team also includes star batter Karun Nair in the line-up, while Harsh Dubey and Akshay Karnewar are also among the notable spots for Vidarbha. It is worth mentioning that Nair joined Vidarbha during the previous edition, and emerged as their top scorer that season.

Last year, veteran batter Faiz Fazal had announced his decision to retire from domestic cricket, and as a result, Yash Rathod will be a key southpaw to replace the former.

Umesh Yadav to be seen in action in red-ball cricket once again

Star pacer Umesh Yadav, who is the most experienced international player in the team, will be spearheading the pace attack for the 2023–24 finalists, whereas, Aditya Thakare will be comforting the other end. Among other bowlers, the biggest miss for Vidarbha would be Aditya Sarvate, who will be playing for Kerala starting this season. Sarvate revealed reason for his departure from the side following a fallout with the coaches.

Also Read: Vidarbha's Aditya Sarwate set to play for Kerala from next domestic season [Exclusive]

Usman Ghani will be the head coach of Vidarbha, while Atul Ranade will be the assistant. The state association also announced the entire coaching staff for the upcoming edition.

Vidarbha squad for Ranji Trophy 2024-25

Akshay Wadkar (captain and wicketkeeper), Atharva Taide (vice-captain), Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Yash Kadam, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Aditya Thakare, Shubham Kapse, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (wicketkeeper), Praful Hinge, Danish Malewar, Umesh Yadav, Mandar Mahale, Karun Nair

Coaching Staff: Usman Ghani (head coach), Atul Ranade (assistant coach), Yuvraj Singh Dasondhi (strength & conditioning coach), Nitin Khurana (physio), Aniruddha Deshpande (video analyst), Rajsingh Chandel (masseur), Yash Thorat (side-arm ball thrower), Jitendra Dharbhe (manager)

Vidarbha Schedule for Ranji Trophy 2024-25

The reigning runners-up of the Ranji Trophy tournament, Vidarbha will enter the forthcoming season to lift the title, which will begin with the Round 1 game against Andhra at the VCA Ground in Civil Lines, Nagpur. At the same venue, Vidarbha will be up against Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and lastly with Hyderabad to conclude their home fixtures in the Elite Group B. Their away encounters are lined up against Puducherry, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan during the stages.