Delhi announces 22-member squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy; Shikhar Dhawan not named as captain due to national duties

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally decided to host the 2021 edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy from February 20 to March 14. With the premier 50-over competition just a couple of days away, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) announced a 22-member squad on February 13, February.

The Delhi squad features India’s celebrated opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, however, he hasn’t been named as the captain of the squad. Contrary to the expectations of Dhawan leading Delhi, who are all set to face Mumbai in their first match on February 21, left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan has been named Delhi captain for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. Further, Himmat Singh has been named as the vice-captain of the team.

Speaking about the exclusion of Shikhar Dhawan for the leadership role, Delhi selector Chetanya Nanda revealed that Dhawan himself had requested the authorities to not consider him for the captaincy as he won’t be there with the squad for the whole domestic tournament. The left-hander forms a part of India’s squad for the limited-overs format against England.

Shikhar Dhawan wouldn’t have been able to continue beyond February 28: Chetanya Nanda

India will be up against England for five T20 Internationals followed by three-match ODI series, starting from March 12 at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. Thus, Shikhar is likely to leave the Delhi squad and join the Indian squad bio-bubble in the beginning of March.

“Shikhar wouldn’t have been able to continue beyond February 28 as he is part of the Indian limited overs team. He has to join the India team well ahead of the T20I series, probably on March 1. He himself suggested that someone who can lead Delhi throughout the tournament — including knockouts if Delhi qualify — should be picked as captain,” Chetanya Nanda said as quoted by Sportskeeda.

“Dhawan remains a key batsman for us, he is an international player. Pradeep Sangwan is an experienced player. He knows the grassroots level cricket in Delhi,” he added.

Delhi Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy: Pradeep Sangwan (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Manjot Kalra, Dhruv Shorey, Kshitiz Sharma, Nitish Rana, Himmat Singh (vice-captain), Unmukt Chand, Jonty Sidhu, Lalit Yadav, Siddhant Sharma, Anuj Rawat (wicketkeeper), Lakshay Thareja (wicketkeeper), Hiten Dalal, Kunwar Bidhuri, Vaibhav Kandpal, Simarjeet Singh, Shivank Vashisth, Shivam Sharma, Vision Panchal, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tejas Baroka