Vidarbha announces squad for Irani Cup, Yash Rathod named Akshay Wadkar's deputy

The upcoming edition of the Irani Cup is set to be played between Vidarbha and Rest of India. This encounter commences on October 1 and will take place at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.

Vidarbha won their third Ranji Trophy title last season. They will now look to bag their third Irani Cup title, having emerged victorious in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

On Wednesday, September 24, Vidarbha announced a 16-man squad to face Rest of India in the Irani Cup. Vidarbha Cricket Association's senior selection committee, comprising Sudhir Wankhede, P. Vivek, and Jayesh Dongaokar, made the official announcement.

Inspirational captain Akshay Wadkar is set to continue leading the side. Meanwhile, Yash Rathod, who has been in exemplary form, has been named as his deputy.

Spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey, who finished as the highest wicket-taker in the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy, is a part of the India A squad for the two unofficial Tests against Australia A in Lucknow. Meanwhile, fast bowler Yash Thakur is playing in the ongoing second unofficial Test, replacing Prasidh Krishna as a concussion substitute. Both Dubey and Thakur will be joining the Vidarbha camp after the assignment against Australia A is over.

Danish Malewar, who aggregated 352 runs in five innings at an average of 70.40 in the 2025 Duleep Trophy, has been named in the side. He will look to play a key role in the batting order. Dubey also played the tournament and bagged 10 wickets in two matches.

Apart from Yash Thakur, the onus will be on Darshan Nalkande, who is expected to share the new ball with the former. All-rounder Parth Rekade will also be a player to watch out for.

On the other hand, Rest of India's squad was named on Thursday. Rajat Patidar will lead the side, while Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named as his deputy. Akash Deep, who played in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, will spearhead the seam-bowling attack.

Vidarbha squad for Irani Cup 2025: Akshay Wadkar (C & WK), Yash Rathod (VC), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Danish Malewar, Harsh Dubey, Parth Rekhade, Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Aditya Thakare, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Shivam Deshmukh (WK), Praful Hinge, Dhruv Shorey.