Vidarbha pacer Gurbani to play for Maharashtra

Pune: Seamer Rajneesh Gurbani of Vidarbha has been named in Maharashtra’s 28-player probables for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. The team will be led by top order batsman and CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.Maharahtra Cricket Association secretary Kamlesh Pisal, who listed the team through a press release, told TOI: “Gurbani was recommended by head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni to Cricket Advisory Committee. He has taken NOC from Vidarbha. His contract will be worked out soon.”Pisal added that Maharashtra needed a pace bowler. This is not the first time Maharashtra have hired the services of an outstation player. Munaf Patel, Venugopal Rao, Sairaj Bahutule, S Sriram and Enamul Haque Jr (Bangaldesh) had donned Maharashtra cap between 2004 and 2010.Gurbani, 31, has been a part of two Ranji Trophy winning campaigns for Vidarbha. He was declared player of the final against Delhi in 2017-18 wherein he took a match haul of 8-151 which included a first-innings hat-trick. Besides being a part of five tours with India ‘A’, Gurbani has also played Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy final and Deodhar Trophy final. Coach Kulkarni had seen him at the age-group level when he was with Vidarbha.Gurbani has taken 111 first-class wickets in 34 matches at 23.72 that included seven five-wicket hauls. He was ignored by Vidarbha last season, getting only one Ranji game.Gurbani’s pace partner this season is expected to be Pradeep Dadhe. The PYC boy played all games — including T20, one-dayers and Ranji — for Maharashtra last season. Though left-armer Mukesh Choudhary (CSK) and former U-19 World Cup winner Rajvardhan Hangargekar have made it to the probables this time, their fitness over a long season remains a concern.Eleven of the probables were not part of Maharashtra’s campaign last season when 27 players were fielded. It includes wicket-keeper Saurabh Navale and T20 dasher Rahul Tripathi. Left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav is back in the reckoning too. Harshal Kate, Yash Kshirsagar, Mehul Patel, Mandar Bhandari and Vaibhav Gosavi have made the cut.Besides “consider me retired” Kedar Jadhav, the notable names missing out from the last year’s batch are: Pavan Shah, Naushad Shaikh, Vishant More, Kaushal Tambe, Om Bhosale and Omkar Khatpe. Ashay Palkar has been injured and has not played local matches.MCA had named 32 probables last season that included left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar, now chairman of selectors.Maha Ranji probables for 2024-25: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ankeet Bawane, Nikhil Naik, Saurabh Navale (wk), Siddhesh Veer, Sachin Dhas, Harshal Kate, Yash Kshirsagar, Arshin Kulkarni, Rahul Tripathi, Digvijay Patil, Azim Kazi, Siddharth Mhatre, Mehul Patel, Murtaza Trunkwala, Mandar Bhandari, Hitesh Walunj, Vicky Ostwal, Satyajeet Bachhav, Taranjitsingh Dhillon, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ramkrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Pradeep Dadhe, Manoj Ingale, Rajneesh Gurbani, Vaibhav Gosavi.
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