Venkatesh Iyer was named as Captain after the IPL 2026 auction

Soon after the IPL 2026 mini-auction, Venkatesh Iyer received a major leadership role, showing that teams still have strong faith in his abilities despite a less impressive IPL 2025 season.

The all-rounder has been appointed captain of the Madhya Pradesh team for the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s top domestic one-day tournament, which will start on December 24.

At the IPL 2026 auction, Iyer drew interest from many franchises. Royal Challengers Bangalore finally bought him for ₹7 crore, outbidding Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and his former team, Kolkata Knight Riders, who pushed the bid up to ₹6.80 crore before leaving the auction.

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Venkatesh Iyer Takes Charge

Venkatesh Iyer will lead Madhya Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, replacing Rajat Patidar as captain.

Patidar, who led RCB to the IPL 2025 title, also guided Madhya Pradesh to good performances in the Ranji Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His absence from the squad has surprised many.

Iyer played 10 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season and scored 211 runs. 

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Big Names Set to Play Vijay Hazare Trophy

Among the other players picked are experienced batter Yash Dubey and IPL star Kumar Kartikeya. Kartikeya moved to the Rajasthan Royals last year after playing for the Mumbai Indians from 2022 to 2024.

Shubham Sharma and Harpreet Singh are also part of the 16-member squad. Madhav Tiwari has been included, but his selection depends on fitness.

The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 has gained extra importance due to the presence of top Indian players. Stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Prasidh Krishna have been named in their state squads.

Virat Kohli has confirmed his availability for Delhi, while Rohit Sharma is open to playing for Mumbai in the league stage. KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna have been selected by defending champions Karnataka.

The BCCI has made it mandatory for senior players to take part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. With a three-week gap between India’s last T20I against South Africa on December 19 and the first ODI against New Zealand on January 11, 2026, the board wants senior players to use this window to play domestic cricket.

Madhya Pradesh Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26

Venkatesh Iyer (captain), Harsh Gawli, Himanshu Mantri, Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma, Harpreet Singh, Rishabh Chauhan, Ritik Tada, Kumar Kartikeya, Saransh Jain, Shivang Kumar, Aryan Pandey, Rahul Batham, Tripuresh Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Madhav Tiwari