New Delhi, November 9: Opener Shubham Khajuria has been appointed captain of Jammu and Kashmir for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with fast bowlers Umran Malik and Brijesh Sharma included in the 15-member squad.
All of J&K’s league-stage matches will be played in Indore, with the tournament scheduled from November 14 to 26.
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Brijesh Sharma’s inclusion comes after an impressive rise in domestic and franchise cricket. He previously represented J&K age-group teams before moving to Delhi to train under former Ranji Trophy pacer Deepak Punia.
His performances in the 2025 Bengal Pro T20 League, where he claimed 11 wickets in seven matches for Smashers Malda, helped him secure an IPL 2026 contract with Rajasthan Royals.
Brijesh went on to take 14 wickets in 13 matches during his debut IPL season. Rajasthan Royals had signed him at his base price of ₹30 lakh. He was also included in J&K’s group of players for practice matches against Uttarakhand in Srinagar from August 10 to 17.
The selectors have picked two specialist wicketkeepers, Dikshant Kundal and Rydham Sharma, for the tournament.
Other members of the squad include Abdul Samad, Qamran Iqbal, Yawer Hassan, Kawalpreet Singh, Sahil Lotra, Vanshaj Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Sunil Kumar and Lone Nasir Muzaffar.
Drawn in Elite Group B, Jammu and Kashmir will begin their campaign against Delhi on November 14. They will then face Tamil Nadu on November 16, followed by Saurashtra on November 18 and Bihar on November 20.
Their remaining league fixtures are against Punjab on November 22, Railways on November 24 and Haryana on November 26.
With former champions Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Punjab among their group opponents, J&K will face a competitive challenge in their bid to secure a place in the knockout stages.
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Jammu and Kashmir squad: Shubham Khajuria (captain), Qamran Iqbal, Yawer Hassan, Abdul Samad, Kawalpreet Singh, Dikshant Kundal (wicketkeeper), Rydham Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sahil Lotra, Vanshaj Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Yudhvir Singh, Sunil Kumar, Umran Malik, Brijesh Sharma and Lone Nasir Muzaffar.
–IANS
