The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has announced a 26-man squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025. Nitish Rana has been named as the new captain. He replaces Ayush Badoni, who will now play only as a specialist batter. The announcement has created interest among fans as Delhi prepare for another important domestic season.
The squad includes a mix of experienced players and young talent. While 26 players have been picked, the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, and Navdeep Saini will join the team only if available. Their participation depends on fitness and other commitments.
Two young performers, Ankit Rajesh Kumar and Yash Bhatia, have been selected after strong performances at the U-23 level. Their recent form impressed the selectors, and they are expected to add fresh energy to the squad.
One big talking point is the absence of Digvesh Rathi. He had a breakthrough season in IPL 2025 while playing for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He picked up 14 wickets in 13 matches. His average was 30.64 and his economy rate was 8.25. Rathi even outperformed senior spinner Ravi Bishnoi during the season, which makes his exclusion surprising for many.
Even though Rathi is missing, Delhi still have several IPL names in their squad. Suyash Sharma, Simarjeet Singh, Anuj Rawat, and Prince Yadav are among the well-known players included.
Delhi’s Group and Upcoming Fixtures
Delhi are placed in Elite Group D for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. All of their matches will take place in Ahmedabad. Other teams in the group include Uttarakhand, Tripura, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Saurashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
Nitish Rana and his team will begin their campaign against Jharkhand. This opening match will be important for setting the tone.
Delhi recently played in the Ranji Trophy as well. They drew their match against Rajasthan at the Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre. After five matches, Delhi are sixth in the group with eight points. They have not won any match yet in the ongoing red-ball season.
Full Delhi Squad for SMAT 2025
Nitish Rana (C), Arpit Rana, Priyansh Arya, Sarthak Ranjan, Ayush Badoni, Ayush Doseja, Mayank Rawat, Tejasvi, Anuj Rawat, Yash Dhull, Himmat Singh, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Dagar, Yash Bhatia, Ankit Rajesh Kumar, Harsh Tyagi, Suyash Sharma, Prince Yadav, Money Grewal, Rohan Rana, Dhruv Kaushik, Aryan Rana, Vaibhav Khandpal.
Subject to availability: Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Navdeep Saini.
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