Wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel, who recently made the cut in the CSK Retained Players 2026 list on the retention deadline day ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) auction, have now been named the new captain of Gujarat for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025). The 27-year-old will be taking over the captaincy reins from India all-rounder Axar Patel, who led the side in the previous edition of the tournament.
Serving as Urvil’s deputy will be another household Indian Premier League (IPL) name, Harshal Patel. The squad also boast the likes of Ravi Bishnoi, who was recently released by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
Gujarat have been placed in Group C of the domestic T20 competition alongside Baroda, Bengal, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Pondicherry and Services. They begin their campaign on November 26 against Services. The tournament will be crucial for players as a promising display can help them raise stocks and land themselves a lucrative contract in the IPL 2026 auction, slated for December 16.
For the unversed, CSK signed the Gujarat wicketkeeper midway IPL 2025 as a replacement for Vansh Bedi at INR 30 lakhs. While he didn’t manage to register a big-knock, he gave a display of his explosive hitting abilities, smacking at a blistering strike rate of 212.50 in the three games he played and scored 68 runs.
His form following the IPL 2025 has also been sublime. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025, Urvil Patel is currently the highest scorer for his side with 346 runs in five games, averaging 43.25, including a fifty and a century.
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Urvil Patel (c), Harshal Patel (vc), Aarya Desai, Saurabh Chauhan, Umang Kumar, Hemang Patel, Ripal Patel, Vishal Jayswal, Abhishek Desai, Ravi Bishnoi, Amit Desai, Arzan Nagvaswala, Drusshant Soni, Japgna Bhatt, Hiten Mehra and Yash Doshi
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