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Aditya Sarwate joins Chhattisgarh, Jalaj Saxena takes a break from Kerala, and Ravikumar Samarth shifts from Uttarakhand to Vidarbha.
Aditya Sarwate (PTI Photo)
Just like the start of every Indian cricket domestic season, we are seeing a host of team switches ahead of the 2025-26 season. Former Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu captains, Hanuma Vihari and Vijay Shankar, respectively, have already been granted No Objection Certificates by their state boards for a transfer to Tripura.
While Vihari is moving to look for opportunities in all three formats and more ‘respect’ for his stature as an international, Shankar is said to be grudging about a lack of playing 11 picks in recent months. The latter was not chosen for the Buchi Babu Invitational Round 2 either.
Now, as per reports, two more players are on the move. According to Sportstar, Kerala spinner Aditya Sarwate has been granted the NOC to move to Chhattisgarh for the coming year. He leaves after just one season at the Southern state, where he played a key role in taking them to and keeping them competitive in a Ranji Trophy final.
Meanwhile, the report also said that another Kerala spinner, Jalaj Saxena, won’t be available for their Ranji Trophy campaign. Saxena is a domestic veteran with a staggering record — he’s considered one of the best players to have not made his India debut — 484 wickets and over 7,000 runs.
It has led to speculation over his future with Kerala, too, though the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) denies being asked for an NOC.
“Jalaj said he wanted to take a break from cricket and won’t be available for Ranji Trophy this season. He told us that he didn’t want to travel and wanted to be close to his aged parents. We don’t know if he has any plans of joining other teams, as till now he hasn’t approached us for NOC,” said Vinod S Kumar, the board secretary, told the magazine.
Up North, as per Cricbuzz, Uttarakhand is preparing to see the exit of Ravikumar Samarth, the former Karnataka batter, after just one year with them, too. He’s set to move to Vidarbha, who’ll be reeling with the absence of Karun Nair, who has returned to his home state, Karnataka, for the upcoming season.
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