India’s spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who excelled in the recently concluded T20I series against Australia, has been handed with Tamil Nadu Captaincy for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025.

The 34-year-old played a crucial role in India’s 2-1 T20I series win against Australia as he picked 5 wickets across three completed matches.

Meanwhile, wk-batter Narayan Jagadeesan has been appointed as vice-captain of the side.

Varun Chakravarthy has been in hot form since his international return during the Champions Trophy 2025 and also played a crucial role in the Asia Cup 2025.

Varun Chakravarthy, who made his T20I debut in 2021, has played 29 T20Is where he picked up 45 wickets, conceding only 706 runs with best bowling figures of 5/17.

His elevation to captaincy signals the selectors’ confidence in his temperament. With the T20 World Cup 2026 on board, it could be a crucial preparation for the mystery spinner.

Sai Kishore and M Siddharth will be leading the spin attack along with Chakravarthy, while T Natarajan and left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh will lead the pace attack from the front.

Tamil Nadu has been placed in Elite Group D for SMAT, alongside Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tripura, Jharkhand and Saurashtra.

Tamil Nadu had a decent performance in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, sitting in the sixth position in their group after two losses and two draws from four games. However, short format could be an opportunity for a quick turnaround, as the side will be aiming to replicate the success from the past where they have won on multiple occasions.

Tamil Nadu will play their opener match against Rajasthan at Ahmedabad.

Tamil Nadu Squad for SMAT 2025: Varun Chakravarthy (c), Narayan Jagadeesan (vc/wk), Tushar Raheja (wk), VP Amit Sathvik, M Shahrukh Khan, Andre Siddarth, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Shivam Singh, R Sai Kishore, M Siddharth, T Natarajan, Gurjapneet Singh, A Esakkimuthu, R Sonu YadavR Silambarasan, S Rithik Easwaran (wk)