Part of SRH Retained Players 2026, Young Spinner Replaces RCB Star As Vidarbha Captain for SMAT 2025

Among SRH Retained Players 2026, spinner Harsh Dubey has now been named the new captain of the Vidarbha side for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025). The INR 30 lakh recruit from SRH will take over the captaincy reins from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and India wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma. Notably, Jitesh had changed sides from Vidarbha to Bardoa prior to the domestic season.

On the other hand, Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Yash Thakur has been named Harsh’s deputy for the domestic T20 tournament.

Amongst other team news, veteran Indian pacer Umesh Yadav will make his return to the squad after a year-long absence. The 38-year-old last competed in the 2024 tournament edition, where he made two appearances.

Vidarbha’s campaign will kick off on November 26 in Lucknow with a Group A match against Chhattisgarh. They are joined in the group by Mumbai, Odisha, Kerala, Assam, Railways, and Andhra.

Harsh Dubey in stellar form

Harsh’s recent promotion is definitely a reward after his stellar performances with both the ball and bat in domestic cricket and for India A.

The 23-year-old, who played three matches and took five wickets for SRH in IPL 2025, has since been in sublime form.

He hit a fifty and took 10 wickets in two games in the Duleep Trophy playing for the Central Zone. Harsh then played a key role in helping Vidarbha win the Irani Cup 2025, eclipsing the Rest of India side, by taking six wickets in the match including a four-wicket haul. The talented bowling all-rounder then further showcased his red-ball mettle in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, where he once again took a four-fer to help his side win the tournament opener against Nagaland.

Next, he was picked for the India A side, that took part in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 and scored a pivotal unbeaten fifty in a must-win clash against Oman to help India A qualify for the semi-final.

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Vidarbha squad for SMAT 2025

Harsh Dubey (Captain), Yash Thakur (Vice-Captain), Atharva Taide, Dhruv Shorey, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Shivam Deshmukh (wk), Akshay Wadkar, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Kadam, Varun Bisht, Parth Rekhade, Umesh Yadav, Praful Hinge, Deepesh Parwani, and Adhyayan Daga.

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