![Anukul Roy has been appointed as the captain of the Jharkhand team [Source: Hotstar]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1794470432533_JharkhandteamcelebratingSMAT.jpg?type=hq)
Anukul Roy has been appointed as the captain of the Jharkhand team [Source: Hotstar]
Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Anukul Roy has been appointed as the captain of the Jharkhand team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026. The cricketer, who represented his domestic team in the Ranji Trophy recently, will take over the responsibilities from Ishan Kishan, who guided the state to the title in the 2025 season.
Jharkhand Cricket Association announced the 15-member squad on their official social media handle with names like Robin Minz, Pankaj Kumar, Harsh Raj in the squad and notable omission of India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan.
Jharkhand miss out on Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra with 15-member squad core
Jharkhand named the new squad while retaining the core of the title-winning team of SMAT in the previous edition. Only notable omissions remain Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra.
While Ishan Kishan remains committed to his national duties in New Zealand, Kumar Kushagra has been named in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 squad, which will take place this month.
Jharkhand squad for SMAT 2026: Anukul Roy (C), Virat Singh, Shikhar Mohan (vc), Utkarsh Singh, Robin Minz, Rajandeep Singh, Pankaj Kumar, Md. Kounain Quraishi, Shubh Sharma, Amit Kumar, Pratik Ranjan, Pratyush Kumar, Sushant Mishra, Harsh Raj, Saurabh Shekhar
Anukul Roy's leadership role comes on the back of a decent Ranji Trophy and Australia A performance with the bat and the ball. Notably, he made his mark in the previous edition of SMAT by bagging 303 runs and 18 wickets for the team.
A notable addition to the squad has been Shikhar Mohan. The 21-year-old batter, who does occasional bowling, recently impressed with two back-to-back centuries in the Ranji Trophy and has now been named as the vice-captain of the team.
Notable retentions and additions for Jharkhand in SMAT 2026
Virat Singh, the third-highest run-getter for Jharkhand in SMAT 2025, retains his place in the squad, while Sushant Mishra, the highest wicket-taker of SMAT’s previous edition, has also been named in the squad.
Notably, Mishra’s recent performance hasn't been up to the mark. He represented Rajasthan Royals for two matches in IPL 2026, where he scalped two wickets in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Harsh Raj, an off-spin bowler, is yet another noticeable addition who made his way to the SMAT squad in 2026 after his impressive Jharkhand T20 performances. He scalped 11 wickets from 8 matches at an economy rate of 9.06.
