Syed Mushtaq Ali T20: MS Dhoni opts out, Varun Aaron to lead Jharkhand

Out-of-favour India pacer Varun Aaron will lead Jharkhand in the East Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 League, putting to rest speculations around Mahendra Singh Dhoni's availability.

With no T20 international scheduled at the moment, there were speculations that the two-time World Cup winning captain could feature in the tournament that will be utilised by players to impress franchises ahead of the Indian Premier League auctions.

However, it is learnt Dhoni has asked the state selection committee to not consider his name for the event, which started on Sunday in Rajkot with the West Zone match between Mumbai and Baroda.

The 28-year-old Aaron, who has also turned out for India in a career dogged by injuries, has a dependable batting line-up in Saurabh Tiwary, Ishank Jaggi, Virat Singh and Ishan Kishan to provide the platform for its bowlers on the flat pitches.

Jharkhand squad

Varun Aaron (captain), Saurabh Tiwary, Ishan Kishan(wicket-keeper), Ishank Jaggi, Sonu Kumar Singh, Ashish Kumar, Babul Kumar, Nazim Siddiqui, Virat Singh, Kaushal Singh, Sumit Kumar (wicket-keeper), Samar Quadri, Sunny Gupta, Ajay Yadav, Jaskaran Singh.