5 top Indian players who changed their state team for better opportunities

Indian batter Hanuma Vihari is likely to represent Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming domestic season.

The 29-year-old turned out for Andhra in the 2022-23 in what was his second stint with the state. Vihari represented Andhra between the 2016-17 and 2020-21 seasons. He started his domestic career with Hyderabad in 2010 and was with them until 2015-16 season. He returned to the side for one season in 2021-22.

Incidentally, his last game for Andhra in the previous Ranji Trophy season was against Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore in January. He batted left-handed with a fractured hand and won a lot a admirers for his valiant effort. Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit was among those who lauded Vihari’s resilience.

Regarding the news of Vihari shifting his state for the upcoming domestic season, a senior Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) member told Sportstar:

“Yes, he (Vihari) has applied for NOC (No Objection Certificate) to make the move. Discussions took place last evening. The Apex Council has yet to approve the decision.”

As Vihari looks set to turn out for MP in the upcoming domestic season, we list five prominent Indian players who changed their state team for better opportunities.

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#1 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan represented Baroda and Mumbai. (Pic: Getty Images)

Former India left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan made his domestic debut for Baroda in the 1999-2000 season.

He was the Player of the Match in the 2000-01 Ranji Trophy final, claiming eight wickets, including a five-fer in the second innings, as Baroda beat Railways by 21 runs to lift the title.

Zaheer moved to Mumbai ahead of 2006-07 domestic season. According to reports, the former pacer made the switch due to alleged ‘neglect’ and ‘raw deal’ he had received from the officials of the Baroda Cricket Association.

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#2 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag represented Haryana in his last first-class season. (Pic: Getty Images)

Dashing former India opener Virender Sehwag represented Delhi for 18 seasons since 1997-98. He made a name for himself playing for the team and went on to represent India with great distinction.

Sehwag is regarded as one of the finest openers to have turned out for the country, especially in Test cricket. However, he represented Haryana in the 2015-16 season, which turned out to be his last in domestic cricket.

During his stint with Delhi, Sehwag had his issues with the Delhi and District Cricket Association. After a tussle with the board in 2009, he threatened to join Haryana, alleging corruption and nepotism in the selection procedure.

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#3 Robin Uthappa

Apart from Karnataka, Robin Uthappa also represented Saurashtra and Kerala. (Pic: Getty Images)

Former India batter Robin Uthappa represented his home state Karnataka for most of his domestic career. After being part of Karnataka for 15 years, Uthappa moved to Saurashtra for the 2017-18 season.

He then shifted loyalties to Kerala and represented the state in Indian domestic cricket. In fact, he played his last first-class match for Kerala in January 2020 and his final List A game for the same state in 2021.

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#4 Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer is the leading run-getter in the Ranji Trophy. (Pic: Getty Images)

Domestic legend Wasim Jaffer was a doyen of Mumbai cricket for years. He represented the most successful Ranji Trophy team from 1996 to 2015. However, he ended his first-class with Vidarbha after moving to the state ahead of the 2015-16 domestic season.

Jaffer was part of the Vidarbha team that won their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2017-18. In fact, he hit the winning runs in the final as Vidarbha crushed Delhi by nine wickets.

Jaffer is the leading run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, and in February 2020, became the first batter to score 12000 runs in India’s premier domestic competition. He also became the most capped player in competition history when he played his 146th match in January 2019, going past Devendra Bundela's record.

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#5 Amol Muzumdar

Amol Muzumdar (right) and Sachin Tendulkar

Mumbai stalwart Amol Muzumdar is regarded as one of the finest batters to have never represented India.

On his first-class debut for Mumbai, he scored 260 against Haryana at Faridabad in a Ranji Trophy game in the 1993–94 season. Muzumdar went on to establish himself as a giant in the Mumbai batting unit.

After being ignored by Mumbai selectors, he moved to Assam in 2009-10 and in the same season went on to break the then record for most runs in the Ranji Trophy.

The former batter finished his first-class career with Andhra in the 2012-13 season. Muzumdar ended a stellar domestic career, scoring 11,167 runs in 171 games.