Prithvi Shaw joins Maharashtra ahead of 2025-26 season
MUMBAI, Jul 7 (PTI): India batter and former Mumbai player Prithvi Shaw on Monday joined Maharashtra ahead of the 2025-26 season, the state governing body announced.
Shaw had requested the Mumbai Cricket Association late last month to be granted No Objection Certificate to leave Mumbai and play for another state, which was approved by the governing body.
Shaw was dropped from the Mumbai's red-ball teams owing to poor fitness and disciplinary issues and had last played for the domestic giants in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy against Madhya Pradesh.
"International cricketer and Indian team's dynamic top-order batter Prithvi Shaw has officially parted ways with the Mumbai Cricket Association and will represent the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) from the upcoming domestic season," the Maharashtra Cricket Association said in a statement.
"This strategic shift is seen as a significant development in Indian domestic cricket, strengthening the Maharashtra team further. Shaw has represented India in all three formats Tests, ODIs, and T20ls and has consistently impressed in the Indian Premier League and domestic cricket with his aggressive batting and match-winning capabilities," it added.
Shaw said the move will help him grow further as a cricketer.
"At this stage of my career, I believe joining the Maharashtra team will help me grow further as a cricketer. I am deeply grateful to the Mumbai Cricket Association for the opportunities and support I have received over the years," he said.
"Maharashtra Cricket Association has made remarkable efforts in recent years to enhance cricketing infrastructure across the state. I'm confident that being part of such a progressive setup will positively impact my journey as a cricketer," he added.
MCA president Rohit Pawar said, "His inclusion adds tremendous strength to an already talented squad comprising experienced players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ankit Bawne, Rahul Tripathi, Mukesh Choudhary, and Rajneesh Gurbani. Shaw's international and IPL experience will be invaluable, especially for mentoring younger players in the squad."
We are delighted to welcome Prithvi Shaw, India international cricketer and U-19 World Cup-winning captain, to the Maharashtra Cricket Association. His experience and energy will be a valuable addition to our vision for excellence. @PrithviShaw | @RRPSpeaks | #TeamMaha pic.twitter.com/sRhmAXvKdW
— Maharashtra Cricket Association (@MahaCricket) July 7, 2025
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Egg-donation racket targeting poor women busted in Maharashtra's Thane; 3 held
Thane (PTI): Police have unearthed an egg-donation racket, suspected to be involving crores of rupees, that repeatedly exploited vulnerable women in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said.
The victims were offered Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per cycle and repeatedly used as egg donors, resulting in physical exploitation. They were taken to IVF centres where the eggs were surgically extracted and sold for lakhs, they said, adding that so far, 20 women are believed to have fallen prey to the racket.
Three women have been arrested in connection with the illegal trade operating out of a residential apartment and a sonography centre at Joveli in Badlapur East, the police officials said on Saturday.
Egg donation is a fertility procedure where a woman provides eggs for another person to conceive, usually via IVF (in vitro fertilisation). The donor undergoes screening and hormone treatment, eggs are retrieved, fertilised, and transferred to the recipient.
The arrested persons have been identified as Sulakshana Gadekar (44), Ashwini Chabukswar (29), and Manjusha Wankhede (46).
Following a tip-off from a victim to Thane Sub-District Hospital's Chief Medical Officer Dr Jyotsna Sawant, a raid was recently conducted at Gadekar’s residence in Nano City building, the police said.
“We recovered photos of injections used in connection with pregnancy, sonography reports, affidavits with false names, fake documents, and evidence of financial transactions on the mobile phones of the accused,” a police official said.
The accused targeted needy women, paying them Rs 25,000 to 30,000 per cycle. The victims were allegedly administered hormonal injections to increase egg production and were repeatedly used as donors, leading to physical exploitation, the official said.
“The process involved injecting the women to stimulate egg production and taking them for sonography. Once the eggs were ready, the victims were sent to IVF centres where the eggs were surgically extracted and sold for lakhs of rupees,” the official added.
Ulhasnagar Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore said that more than 20 women might have fallen victim to this racket so far.
“The racket was previously operating in Vangani before shifting to Badlapur recently. We are investigating the involvement of IVF centres, doctors, and hospitals. High-profile names are likely to surface as the turnover of this illegal trade is estimated to be in crores,” Gore said.
A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, the police added.
