The 2025 edition of the Irani Cup begins on October 1, as Ranji champions Vidarbha take on the Rest of India in a five-day match at Nagpur’s Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. The Rest of India team has been announced with Rajat Patidar included in the squad. Other well-known players like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Khaleel Ahmed and Akash Deep will also play. The Senior Men’s Selection Committee shared this squad along with the India A team for the upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia A.
Shreyas Iyer, the senior India batsman was expected to captain the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup, but he has skipped the squad after asking the BCCI for a break from red-ball cricket to work on his fitness. The Mumbai player was recently named captain of India A for their two four-day matches against Australia A.
Shreyas Iyer played in the first match but skipped the second after feeling back discomfort, which first appeared during the Duleep Trophy earlier this month. With Iyer out, Rajat Patidar gets the chance to lead the Rest of India team. The right-handed batsman has proven his captaincy skills having guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first IPL title earlier this year. Patidar will now aim to help Rest of India win back the Irani Cup after last year’s loss to Mumbai.
Akshay Wadkar will cаptain Vidаrbha in the Irani Cup аs the team aims for their third title, having previously won in 2017-18 аnd 2018-19. Yаsh Rathod has been nаmed his deputy; he was the top run-scorer in the last Ranji season, scoring 960 runs in 18 innings.
What is the Irani Cup?
Thе Irаni Cup is onе of Indiа’s most prеstigious domеstic crickеt tournamеnts. This annual first-class match is playеd bеtwееn thе currеnt Rаnji Trophy champions and a spеcially sеlеctеd Rеst of India tеam. Thе tournamеnt startеd in 1960 to cеlеbrаtе 25 yеars of thе Ranji Trophy and was namеd aftеr Zal R. Irani, who sеrvеd as BCCI prеsidеnt for many yеars.
Thе tournamеnt follows stаndard first-class crickеt rulеs and is playеd ovеr fivе days with еach day consisting of at lеast 90 ovеrs. If thе match еnds in a drаw, thе tеam with thе first innings lеad is dеclarеd thе winnеr.
Irani Cup 2025: Match Schedule & Venue Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | 1 |
| Teams | Vidarbha vs Rest of India |
| Dates | October 1-5, 2025 |
| Day | Tuesday to Sunday |
| Venue | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur |
| Start Time | 9:30 AM IST daily |
| Format | 5-day First-Class Cricket Match |
Vidarbha Squad (Ranji Trophy Champions)
Vidarbha, led by captain and wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar, will be looking to win their third Irani Cup title after previous victories in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Yash Rathod has been appointed as vice-captain.
Squad:
- Akshay Wadkar (Captain & Wicketkeeper) – A consistent performer with 3,906 runs in 62 first-class matches at an average of 48.82
- Yash Rathod (Vice Captain) – The leading run-scorer in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy with 960 runs in 18 innings
- Atharva Taide (Batsman)
- Aman Mokhade (Batsman)
- Danish Malewar (Batsman)
- Harsh Dubey (All-rounder/Spinner) – The highest wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy with 69 wickets
- Parth Rekhade (All-rounder)
- Yash Thakur (Fast Bowler)
- Nachiket Bhute (Spinner)
- Darshan Nalkande (Fast Bowler)
- Aditya Thakare (Fast Bowler)
- Akshay Karnewar (All-rounder)
- Yash Kadam (All-rounder)
- Shivam Deshmukh (Wicketkeeper)
- Praful Hinge (All-rounder)
- Dhruv Shorey (Batsman)
Rest of India Squad
The Rest of India team will be captained by Rajat Patidar, with Ruturaj Gaikwad as his deputy. This team includes some of the best domestic performers from across the country.
Squad:
- Rajat Patidar (Captain) – The Madhya Pradesh star who recently led RCB to IPL success
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (Vice Captain) – Maharashtra batsman and CSK captain
- Abhimanyu Easwaran – Bengal opener and regular India A player
- Aryan Juyal (Wicketkeeper) – Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman
- Yash Dhull – Delhi batsman and former India U-19 captain
- Shaik Rasheed – Andhra Pradesh batsman
- Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper) – India wicketkeeper-batsman
- Tanush Kotian – Mumbai all-rounder
- Manav Suthar – Rajasthan spinner
- Gurnoor Brar – Punjab fast bowler
- Khaleel Ahmed – Rajasthan fast bowler and former India international
- Akash Deep – Bengal fast bowler and current India Test player
- Anshul Kamboj – Haryana fast bowler who recently made his Test debut
- Saransh Jain – Madhya Pradesh all-rounder
Irani Cup 2025: Live Streaming & Broadcast Details
| Platform Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Television Broadcast | Star Sports Network, Sports18 channels |
| Live Streaming (Free) | JioHotstar app & website (mobile & desktop) |
| Live Scores & Commentary | Cricbuzz, ESPNCricinfo |
Irani Cup 2025 Prize Money
| Award | Prize Money Details |
|---|---|
| Winner | ₹50 Lakh |
| Runner-up | ₹25 Lakh |
Tournament Format & Rules
The Irani Cup follows first-class cricket rules similar to Test matches:
- Duration: 5 days maximum
- Overs per day: Minimum 90 overs
- Result: If the match is drawn, the team with first innings lead wins
- Playing conditions: Standard first-class cricket laws apply
- Session timings: Three sessions per day starting at 9:30 AM IST
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