Akshay Wadkar Set to Captain Vidarbha in Prestigious Irani Cup Clash

Wicketkeeper-batter Akshay Wadkar has been appointed as the captain of the Ranji Trophy-winning Vidarbha team for their Irani Cup match against the Rest of India (RoI), which is set to take place in Nagpur starting on October 1. Vidarbha aims to secure its third Irani Cup victory, having previously clinched the title in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, while the RoI boasts a record 29 wins.

The senior selection committee of the Vidarbha Cricket Association, which includes Sudhir Wankhede, P. Vivek, and Jayesh Dongaokar, announced prolific batsman Yash Rathod as the vice-captain during their meeting on Wednesday. Rathod was the leading run-scorer of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, amassing 960 runs.

Akshay Wadkar has accumulated 3,906 runs in 62 first-class matches, averaging 48.82 and scoring 11 centuries. The team will be coached by Usman Ghani, who was instrumental in Vidarbha’s Ranji title triumph last season.

Vidarbha Squad:
Akshay Wadkar (Captain, WK), Yash Rathod (Vice-Captain), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Danish Malewar, Harsh Dubey, Parth Rekhade, Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Aditya Thakare, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Shivam Deshmukh (WK), Praful Hinge, Dhruv Shorey.

Published on Sep 24, 2025