Prithvi Shaw will wear Maharashtra colours for the first time next week, the 25-year-old opener named in a 17-man squad for the All-India Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Chennai (18 Aug-9 Sep). Shaw received a no-objection certificate from Mumbai last month after a season on the fringes, fitness and discipline concerns prompting his former state to leave him out of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.
“This move is a fresh start, I’m looking forward to enjoying my cricket again,” Shaw told reporters after a training session at Pune’s MCA ground.
Ankit Bawne leads the side, while Ruturaj Gaikwad’s inclusion is equally eye-catching. The India batter has not played competitively since the elbow injury that cut short his 2025 IPL campaign. He has been in the nets for several weeks and, speaking to the CSK website recently, said, “The elbow is fine, the hunger is intact.”
Maharashtra’s coaching group expect Gaikwad and wicketkeeper-batter Saurabh Nawale to feature only in the opening fixture before joining West Zone for the Duleep Trophy semi-finals in Bengaluru (from 4 Sep). Bowling depth comes from left-armer Mukesh Choudhary, back after a shoulder issue, and the spin trio of Vicky Ostwal, Hitesh Walunj and leg-spinner Prashant Solanki.
Bawne believes the balance is right. “We’ve got senior bats, three spinners who turn it different ways and enough pace if the surface has a bit of nip,” he noted.
Across the harbour, 18-year-old Ayush Mhatre captains a youthful Mumbai side. The teenaged opener hit 340 runs in four Under-19 Tests in England this July and filled in capably for an injured Gaikwad at Chennai Super Kings. Sarfaraz Khan returns to the Mumbai dressing-room, while younger brother Musheer has recovered from the neck fracture sustained in last year’s road accident. Their presence stiffens a top order that at times looked light in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Analytically, the Buchi Babu has regained importance since the domestic calendar was compressed; coaches value competitive red-ball overs before the Ranji season. For Shaw, the tournament doubles as an audition. A solid fortnight could reopen doors at India A level, yet the immediate goal is simpler: runs on the board and, perhaps more importantly, evidence of renewed discipline.
Maharashtra squad
Ankit Bawne (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw, Siddhesh Veer, Sachin Dhas, Arshin Kulkarni, Harshal Kate, Siddharth Mhatre, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Mandar Bhandari (wk), Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Pradeep Dadhe, Vicky Ostwal, Hitesh Walunj, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Mumbai squad
Ayush Mhatre (capt), Musheer Khan, Divyansh Saxena, Sarfaraz Khan, Suved Parkar (vc), Pragnesh Kanpillewar, Harsh Aghav, Sairaj Patil, Aakash Parkar, Aakash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Shreyas Gurav, Yash Dicholkar, Himanshu Singh, Royston Dias, Sylvester D’Souza, Irfan Umair.
