Varun Chakravarthy Appointed Tamil Nadu Captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Varun Chakravarthy Appointed Tamil Nadu Captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025–26.

India spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been named captain of the Tamil Nadu team for the 2025–26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, starting November 26. Narayan Jagadeesan will serve as his deputy.

Chakravarthy, who recently played a key role in India’s T20I series win in Australia, taking five wickets in three matches, embarks on his first-ever captaincy assignment. He replaces M Shahrukh Khan, with selectors opting for him over experienced leaders R Sai Kishore and Jagadeesan.

The squad also features India pacer T Natarajan and fellow seamer Gurjapneet Singh, while the spin department will be led by Sai Kishore and M Siddarth with their left-arm variations.

Tamil Nadu have had a modest Ranji Trophy campaign, sitting sixth in their group with two losses and two draws from four matches. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, they are in Elite Group D alongside Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tripura, Jharkhand, and Saurashtra. The team will open their campaign against Rajasthan in Ahmedabad.

Tamil Nadu squad:
Varun Chakravarthy (captain), Narayan Jagadeesan (vice-captain, wicketkeeper), Tushar Raheja (wicketkeeper), VP Amit Sathvik, Shahrukh Khan, Andre Siddarth, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Shivam Singh, R Sai Kishore, M Siddarth, T Natarajan, Gurjapneet Singh, A Esakkimuthu, R Sonu Yadav, R Silambarasan, S Rithik Easwaran (wicketkeeper)