India all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who featured for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025, is set to join the Tripura team from Tamil Nadu ahead of the upcoming domestic season. With this, Shankar has made the second player to make the switch to Tripura, joining Hanuma Vihari, who has joined the side from Andhra Pradesh.
In a latest statement, Shankar confirmed that he has already secured the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and will announce his move to Tripura once he gets the approval letter from the side.
"I have obtained the NOC from TNCA but am yet to receive confirmation from the Tripura Cricket Association. I will be able to officially announce my switch once I get the formal approval letter from Tripura," Shankar told Cricbuzz.
Tripura will be playing in the Elite Division in all the three domestic tournaments - Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Their side will definitely be strengthened with the additions of both Shankar and Vihari.
Shankar's impressive domestic record
Shankar, who was a mainstay for Tamil Nadu at the domestic circuit, has featured for India in 12 ODIs and 9 T20Is. He was even a part of the Men in Blue's squad in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Additionally, he has a great record with the bat for Tamil Nadu in Ranji Trophy, scoring 3142 runs at an average of 44.25. He also has 11 centuries and 16 half-centuries in the format.
The 34-year-old had a strong campaign last year in the Ranji Trophy where he scored a total of 476 runs in six matches, maintaining a blistering average of 52.88 and hitting two hundreds as well. However, he wasn't able to replicate his form with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and only managed to score 83 runs in four matches.
Notably, Shankar's last appearance for the national side came in June, 2019 where he participated in an ODI against West Indies. He hasn't been able to make a comeback into India's squad for any format ever since that match.
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