Vijay Shankar confirms last-minute switch from Tamil Nadu, leaving the team in a precarious position ahead of the season.
Before the 2025–26 domestic season, all-rounder Vijay Shankar decided at the last minute to leave his native Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has given Vijay, 34, a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).
Vijay had played for the TNCA President’s XI against Himachal Pradesh in the first round of the preseason Buchi Babu Tournament in Chennai. After being excluded from the second round versus Maharashtra, he decided to move states in pursuit of more reliable possibilities in a variety of formats.
Vijay missed the first two Ranji Trophy games for Tamil Nadu in the 2024–25 domestic season. He also sat out a significant portion of the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Vijay’s 13-year tenure with Tamil Nadu, during which he led the state to the Vijay Hazare, Deodhar, and Syed Mushtaq Ali titles, is now over. He took over for S Badrinath after making his Ranji Trophy debut in December 2012, leading Tamil Nadu’s middle order in the tournament alongside B Indrajith.
Vijay Shankar at Tamil Nadu
With 3142 runs at an average of 44.25 in 81 Ranji innings, including 11 hundreds and 16 fifties, Vijay departs Tamil Nadu. At an average of 53.93, he also took 43 Ranji wickets with his medium-fast bowling. In 2014–15, he had his best Ranji season, scoring 577 runs at an average of 57.70 in 11 innings. After that, he caught the attention of the India A team and was selected as a wildcard for the 2019 ODI World Cup.
He recently scored a career-high 150 not out off 171 balls against Chandigarh in Tamil Nadu’s 209-run victory in Salem during the 2024–25 Ranji season. Working with Varun Chakravarthy helped Vijay refine his mystery spin bowling style. This allowed him to redefine himself at the TNPL.
Tamil Nadu’s troubled build-up post Vijay Shankar
After B Aparajith, the captain of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), moved to Kerala before the 2024–25 season. Vijay is the second senior player to leave Tamil Nadu in recent memory.
Tamil Nadu has RS Ambrish, who recently had success with the ball and bat with the India Under-19s in England, as a like-for-like substitute for Vijay. Ambrish, 18, has the ability to smash strong lengths with the ball and is a developing finisher. Prior to the Buchi Babu Tournament, he was also reportedly called up to bowl to Ruturaj Gaikwad at the CSK academy in Chennai.
Before the new season begins, Tamil Nadu is going through a difficult build-up. Fellow left-arm fingerspinner S Ajith Ram, who finished third in the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy in terms of wickets taken, will have to miss more time due to injury as R Sai Kishore recovers from a hand ailment.
This season, M Senthilnathan, a previous Ranji Trophy winner, has replaced L Balaji as head coach of Tamil Nadu. The bowling coach is T Kumaran, a former seamer for Tamil Nadu and India. For the forthcoming Indian domestic season, Kumaran has returned to his origins after coaching in the United States.