Defending champions Mysore Warriors have unveiled their 20-member squad for the upcoming Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 2025, with experienced cricketer Karun Nair named as captain for the season. Under his leadership, Mysore clinched the trophy in the 2024 season.
“We are thrilled to unveil our team and welcome Karun Nair as our captain. His experience and temperament will be vital in shaping this dynamic squad. We always stand for talent and are delighted to encourage new talent,” Arjun Ranga, Mysore’s owner and Managing Director, said in a press release.
This season, Karun’s availability was in doubt for a while. He was expected to feature in the Duleep Trophy, but due to his shift from Vidarbha to Karnataka, Nair will have to serve a cool-off period. It will allow him to feature in the Maharaja Trophy, which will run till July 28 - the same day as the Duleep Trophy will begin.
New opportunity for Karun
Meanwhile, after a stunning season with Mysore in the Maharaja Trophy 2024, Karun managed to bag an IPL deal with Delhi Capitals, where he kicked off the season well, but failed to keep up with the momentum. However, his batting prowess in the Ranji Trophy, helped the cricketer earn a spot in India’s recently concluded five-match Test series against England.
He had a subpar season, but a half-century in the final Test at The Oval was extremely crucial, to say the least, as India won the match by six runs. As it’s not guaranteed whether Nair will be picked in the Test team again, he will hope to prove his worth for Mysore. However, he won’t be available for the first few games for the team as the cricketer is nursing a finger injury and in his absence, Manish Pandey will step in as the stand-in captain.
Meanwhile, the squad was finalised at the player auction held on July 15 in Bengaluru. Alongside Karun and Pandey, the team features star players like pacer Prasidh Krishna and all-rounder K Gowtham. Notably, Mysore will kick off the season against Bengaluru Blasters on August 11.
In the meantime, the Maharaja Trophy was shifted to Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadeyar Ground, Mysore. M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru wasn’t given the green light to host the tournament after a stampede on June 5 during RCB’s IPL trophy parade.
