Rajneesh Gurbani's sensational bowling guided Vidarbha to their maiden Ranji Trophy final after they stunned defending champions Karnataka by five runs in a thrilling semi-final, in Kolkata, on Thursday.
The squad also features India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad who has captained his state team in the past, while the selectors opted to go with experience, picking Pradeep Dadhe over Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
The contest will be played at the Golf Club Ground in Nasik.
'At this stage of my career, I believe joining the Maharashtra team will help me grow further as a cricketer.'
Karnataka, Maharashtra register innings wins to go 1-2 in Group B of Ranji Tropphy.
Vidarbha thrashed Maharashtra by 69 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final to enter the final, wher
At stumps on the second day, Jaffer was batting on 61 off 120 balls and Akshay Wakhare was yet to open his account, as Vidabha trailed by 89 runs.
Mumbai were bowled out for 181 in their second innings, setting J&K 243 runs to win the season-opening match.
Round up of all the Ranji Trophy action on Thursday
Mayank Agarawal's unbeaten 139 took Karnataka over the line against Punjab by one wicket,
Maharashtra secured a resounding 439-run victory over Baroda in a Group A Ranji Trophy match, keeping defending champions Mumbai's hopes alive for the knockout stage.
The two squads comprise a host of players, who have performed consistently for their state teams and IPL franchises over the past couple of seasons.
The Punjab spearhead cleaned up skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (5) with a ripper before inducing an edge from Siddhesh Veer (0) to the wicketkeeper in the very next over.
Will Young scored an unbeaten 117, steering New Zealand 'A' to 221 for five against India 'A' on the opening day of the second unofficial Test, in Hamilton, on Friday.
In Agartala, the Group A match between Mumbai and Tripura ended in a draw with the reigning champions earning three points by virtue of the first-innings lead.
Shardul Thakur's second first-class hundred brought Mumbai back from the brink in their Elite Group A clash against Jammu and Kashmir at MCA BKC Ground in Mumbai on Friday.
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Teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw, who made a successful Test debut against the West Indies, will play for India 'A' captained by Dinesh Karthik.
Reigning Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha completed a coveted a grand double by winning the Irani Cup after outclassing Rest of India on basis of the first innings lead, in Nagpur, on Sunday.
The Vidarbha batter boasts an incredible average of 752 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with five centuries from seven games.
At stumps on the penultimate day, Karnataka skipper R Vinay Kumar (19) and Shreyas Gopal (1) were batting at the Eden Gardens.
Chahal, who has been an automatic choice in the limited overs format has not played any first-class cricket since December 2016 (against Haryana in Ranji Trophy), but the Indian team management and especially skipper Virat Kohli has indicated that he wants the wiry leg-spinner for five-day matches also.
Vidarbha claimed their maiden Ranji Trophy after beating Delhi by nine wickets in the final of India's premier domestic tournament, in Indore, on Monday.
A summary of Friday's action in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
A summary of Ranji Trophy semi-finals played at Kolkata and Pune on Monday
Rohit, who has made a comeback to the Test side, will now leave for Australia with India's T20 squad on Friday.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj bagged his maiden 10-wicket haul as India 'A' beat South Africa 'A' by a comprehensive innings and 30 runs after stiff resistance from the middle order on the final day of the first 'Test'.
Displaying steely resolve, Dhruv Shorey stood out with an unbeaten century and steered Delhi to 271 for six, but Vidarbha did just enough to share honours on day one of the Ranji Trophy final in Indore.
Rishabh Pant excelled with a counter-attacking 71-ball 67 as India 'A' scored a five-wicket victory over West Indies 'A' in the second unofficial Test, coming back from a precarious position to clinch the series 1-0, in Taunton, on Friday.
Mohammed Shami was dropped after he failed to clear the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Akshay Karnewar struck his maiden first-class century to hand Vidarbha a crucial 95-run first-innings lead before Rest of India, riding on a fighting partnership, erased the deficit in the Irani Cup.
Ajinkya Rahane's struggles in limited-overs' cricket continued as India B comfortably beat India C by 30 runs to enter the Deodhar Trophy final, in New Delhi, on Wednesday.
Abhimanyu Mithun claimed a third five-for of the season as Vidarbha collapsed for 185 before Karnataka were left reeling at 36 for three on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final in Kolkata.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final matches played on Saturday.
All-rounder Krunal Pandya and medium pacer Deepak Chahar earned their maiden call up in the Indian squad to replace the injured Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah for the three-match Twenty20 International series against England, starting in Manchester on Tuesday.
With only 17 ODIs left for India before the World Cup, senior pros like Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin will aim to remain relevant in the 50-overs format in the forthcoming Deodhar Trophy.
There were three attractive half-centuries but a top and lower-middle order collapse saw hosts Karnataka manage a below-par 264 for 9 against Saurashtra on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final on Thursday.
Umesh Yadav starred with a match haul of 12/79 as defending champion Vidarbha routed Kerala by an innings and 11 runs shortly after lunch on Day 2 to storm into the Ranji Trophy final for the second year in a row.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis will miss the remainder of his side's limited overs tour to Sri Lanka after injuring his shoulder in Sunday's 78-run victory that clinched the one-day international series.
'We have been following our routine and that's the best part, we have done. All credit goes to the players as they have put in the hard work. I am very happy with the way they have respected me, and the players have never ignored the system we have followed.
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