Maharashtra suffer horror start to Ranji Trophy season with four ducks

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 15 (IANS) Maharashtra got off to a 2025/26 Ranji Trophy season with a horror start against last year's runner-up Kerala at the Green Field Stadium here on Wednesday, as they were reeling at 5-4 in the fourth over of their innings.

Kerala’s seamer MD Nidheesh ended Prithvi Shaw’s Maharashtra debut within four deliveries, trapping him lbw off the fourth ball of the opening over. He then removed Siddhesh Veer off the very next delivery before Basil NP took out all-rounder Arshin Kulkarni with his first delivery. Skipper Ankeet Bawana’s resistance ended soon on a spicy wicket, with Basil producing another nip-backing delivery with bounce to knock the stumps down.

Meanwhile, Shaw will be disappointed after failing to score a run in the game. He had scored a cracking ton for Maharashtra in a warm-up match against his former team, Mumbai.

Shaw switched from Mumbai ahead of the season for a fresh start after a turbulent period that saw him lose his place in the red-ball setup. His move to Maharashtra is seen as a significant step in trying to revive his red-ball career.

After going unsold at the IPL 2025 auction and facing questions over his form and fitness, Shaw decided to switch to Maharashtra to revive his domestic career and gain more consistent opportunities. He made an impact in his first competitive outing for Maharashtra, scoring a century against Chhattisgarh in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in August.

At the time of writing this report, Maharashtra are 58-5, with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jalaj Saxena batting at 19 and 22, respectively.

In the previous Ranji season (2024-25), Maharashtra finished fifth in Elite Group A, managing two wins, two draws, and three losses from seven matches.

Maharashtra have been placed in Group B, which includes Kerala (last season’s runners-up), Saurashtra, Chandigarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Goa - all strong contenders in the domestic circuit.

--IANS

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