SRH seamer Harshal Patel has decided to part ways with Haryana after more than a decade and will represent Gujarat in the 2025-26 domestic season. The experienced pacer has completed the necessary paperwork and will be available for the state’s pre-season camp later this month, which also includes a tri-series featuring Baroda and Saurashtra. The move mirrors the recent switch of Jayant Yadav, another Haryana stalwart, who signed up with Puducherry.

This is a return home for Harshal, who was born in Gujarat and made his List A debut for the state in 2008-09. After the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, limited chances forced him to shift to Haryana, where he went on to become their leading bowler. Over 74 first-class matches, he has taken 246 wickets at 24.02 and was central to their white-ball success, especially the 2023-24 Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph.

On the domestic front, Harshal has been a regular in the IPL, most recently taking 16 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2025 season, and his addition will give Gujarat a big boost to their bowling stocks as the franchise looks to rebuild under head coach Ramesh Powar, with the Ranji Trophy campaign beginning in October.

Harshal on his homecoming ahead of 2025-26 domestic season

"Right from 2010-11, since my Under-19 days, almost the entirety of my professional career has been with Haryana; I owe a lot to them. If that move to Haryana as an 18-year-old hadn't worked out for me, I would have probably moved to the USA and not played cricket in India,” Harshal said. "It was getting difficult for me to be away from the family for long periods of time. So I wanted to come back and see if I could finish my career here. Glad I got an opportunity to do that."

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"I first asked Anil Patel [secretary, Gujarat Cricket Association] and he was gracious enough to say, 'this is your home; welcome back.' Having come back, I'm open to playing everything and anything that the team wants me to play. While my specialization will remain white-ball, I'm more than happy to take any opportunities that come my way with red-ball cricket," he explained. "My body allows me to bowl 20 overs in a day… I love the grind. The goal has always been to play the best cricket that I can play for as long as I can irrespective of the format."

India can get another T20 league soon. The Gujarat Cricket Association reportedly all prepared to announce their own version of the T20 league. The decision about the tournament has already been finalized, but multiple key decisions are yet to be taken, as per the media reports.

After the invention of the Indian Premier League (IPL), various franchise-centric T20 leagues emerged. Keeping the possible prospects in various ways, as these kinds of leagues can prove fruitful for business purposes also, multiple states in India have been operating their own T20 leagues. The Tamil Nadu Premier League, T20 League Mumbai, and Madhya Pradesh Premiere League are some of the popular state-based Twenty20 leagues.

These kinds of tournaments have proven their usefulness by producing many talents over the years. These regional tournaments provide the required platform for the young stars to showcase their talents so that teams on the higher level can spot them. Aniket Verma earned an IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad after impressive performances in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League (MPL). Through these tournaments, local players get the chance to share a dressing room with star or well-known players.

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Multiple decisions to be taken before conclusion 

According to a report published by Cricbuzz, the Gujarat Cricket Association is planning to introduce its own T20 league in the 2025-26 season. GCA secretary Anil Patel confirmed that the decision has been made, but details like the tournament window, format, and number of participating teams are not finalized. 

Finding the appropriate window for a new league can be critical for the Gujarat Cricket Association. In most cases, the state-run leagues begin after the conclusion of the IPL. Despite all the glitters, there are multiple reports that claim that investors found it difficult to make a profit from these leagues. 

In the early hours of Wednesday, May 7, following the Indian Armed Forces' Operation Sindoor, two major cricket associations, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), were targeted with bomb threats via email. CAB reportedly received the threat during the live IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens. The email, sent from an unknown ID to the official CAB inbox, triggered heightened security measures at the stadium, with police now actively investigating the incident amid IPL 2025.

Simultaneously, the Gujarat Cricket Association also received a similar threat through email. Authorities in Ahmedabad have been alerted, and early reports suggest the email may have originated from a sender based in Pakistan. The incident has raised serious concerns around the security of high-profile cricket events, prompting immediate responses from both local law enforcement and security agencies to ensure the safety of players and spectators.

The ominous one-liner, "We will blast your stadium," was sent by the handle "Pakistan JK," mere days before the scheduled May 14 Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants.

The authorities are taking the threat seriously. "Due to the high-profile status of the match and recent tensions within the region, we are being vigilant," the senior police official said. Special bomb disposal units and top-level security officials were quickly deployed in the stadium to carry out extensive searches.

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Gujarat on High Alert After Threat Email Following Operation Sindoor

This follows India's 'Operation Sindoor', the reprisal action across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following a terrorist strike on Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26. The officials believe that the email is also aimed at instilling fear at this critical juncture. Reacting to this, the state government, along with central agencies, has intensified surveillance in each of the major cities in Gujarat, namely Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, and Vadodara. Public establishments such as railway stations, airports, religious sites, and stadia are being put under intensified surveillance. The police of Ahmedabad, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and bomb squads are conducting joint operations. The metadata of the email is being examined by forensic experts to trace its source, while the intelligence departments explore possible connections with newly established terror groups.

Security arrangements for the forthcoming IPL matches have been overhauled. Anti-sabotage inspections, drone surveillance, and increased personnel deployment have already begun. Citizens are asked to remain vigilant and inform authorities about anything out of the ordinary. Authorities point out that even though no group or individual has taken responsibility, the threat only goes to highlight vulnerabilities in public event security and the need for proactive web monitoring. An investigation is ongoing, and authorities assure the public that every precaution is being made to ensure the safety of players and spectators at the stadium.