Interestingly, Patidar was also not picked in the Madhya Pradesh squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-2026. It is not clear whether fitness issues forced the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association to rest Patidar and hand over the reins to Iyer.
No royal patron! Venkatesh Iyer named Madhya Pradesh captain for Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26
Recently, Patidar was part of the Madhya Pradesh squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 after recovering from a knee injury. He has built an impressive record as captain across formats. Earlier this year, Patidar led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their first-ever IPL title.
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Before that, he guided Central Zone to their first Duleep Trophy win since the 2014-15 season. The star batsman also guided Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the 2024-25 season. So Patidar’s disapproving response left many surprised.
After RCB deal at IPL 2026 auction, Venkatesh Iyer gets Madhya Pradesh captaincy
Well, as reported by IANS, the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) has selected “Venkatesh Iyer as captain of their senior men’s team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy competition phase to be held in Ahmedabad from December 24 to January 8, 2026” on December 19.
The 30-year-old recently made headlines after he was picked by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2026 Auction for Rs 7 crore after being released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He was part of the KKR team from 2021 to 2025, during which he won an IPL title in 2024.
Taking over the captaincy of Madhya Pradesh is a big boost for Iyer, who will play for the RCB under Patidar’s captaincy in the 2026 IPL and will have the honor of sharing a dressing room with Virat Kohli.
MP team includes IPL 2026 auction picks Shivang Kumar and Mangesh Yadav
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh’s 16-member squad is packed with experienced and talented players from different departments. Himanshu Mantri will take on the role of wicketkeeper while reliable batters like Yash Dubey and Shubham Sharma will lead the batting line-up.
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All-rounders Iyer himself, Harpreet Singh, Kumar Kartikeya and Tripuresh Singh will provide flexibility in both batting and bowling, while Aryan Pandey and Rahul Batham will strengthen the bowling attack. Ritik Tada is expected to play a key role in the lower tier of the elite over-50s competition.
To add further firepower, the Madhya Pradesh squad has two recent IPL picks in all-rounder Shivag Kumar and left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav, who bring valuable experience. Besides, Saransh Jain and Madhav Tiwari have also been included depending on their fitness.
Madhya Pradesh Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy League Phase:
Venkatesh Iyer (C), Harsh Gawli, Himanshu Mantri (WK), Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma, Harpreet Singh, Rishabh Chauhan, Ritik Tada, Shivag Kumar, Aryan Pandey, Rahul Batham, Tripuresh Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Kumar Kartikeya, Saransh Jain, Madhav Tiwari (subject to fitness).
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