In a sudden but major shift in leadership, Prithvi Shaw has taken over the captaincy of Maharashtra for the group stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025, substituting Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The decision was made after Gaikwad received an India ODI call-up, and the Maharashtra management considered that Shaw was the right person to lead the team during the important T20 domestic competition.
Shaw’s elevation has been corroborated by several sources. As per Sportstar, the team changed the captaincy before the SMAT 2025 league phase with Shaw now taking the lead role. ObserverVoice and InsideSport both point out that Gaikwad’s national team obligations were the reason behind Shaw’s rise.
This is a great opportunity for Shaw. He has been a player with talent and vivacity throughout his career, and now leading Maharashtra in SMAT could be a playground for him to gain his leadership acceptance and comeback to the top.
The battle is alive, and domestic T20s generally serve as a launching pad for the players with the hopes of getting bigger honors or regaining form.
With Shaw as the captain, Maharashtra will try to form a strong team in the initial rounds of the tournament. His aggressive style of batting and the experience of playing under pressure in T20 matches could be the factor that gives the team the advantage they require in this format.
Also Read: Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025–26: Full List of Teams and Players
Maharashtra squad for 2025-26 SMAT
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nikhil Naik, Prithvi Shaw(c), Rahul Tripathi, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Jalaj Saxena, Azim Kazi, Arshin Kulkarni, Mukesh Choudhary, Vicky Ostwal, Prashant Solanki, Mandar Bhandari, Yogesh Dongare, Ranjeet Nikam, Tanay Sanghvi
Written by Manjunath S