Known for his explosive power-hitting in the death overs in the shortest format, Ashutosh is among three guest players signed by the GCA alongside India leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who is currently in the squad for the T20I series against the West Indies, starting in Lucknow on Tuesday, and fast bowler Ashok Sharma, who moved on from Rajasthan but is currently undergoing rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. It is understood that Ashutosh has been training with the Gujarat team and even featured in some of their practice games. Ashutosh Sharma has switched allegiance from Railways to Gujarat for the 2026/27 domestic season, Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) Secretary Anil Patel told IANS on Monday.
Ashutosh initially played domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh before moving to Railways. His reputation as a high-impact finisher in the shortest format earned him Indian Premier League (IPL) stints with Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals. The first round of the Ranji Trophy will also see senior opener KL Rahul turn out for Karnataka against Andhra in Vijayawada, while left-arm spinner Manav Suthar will captain Rajasthan in their opening game against Tamil Nadu in Jaipur. Off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar is in line to turn out for Tamil Nadu against Rajasthan, after he was pulled out of the T20I squad against the West Indies to get some game time in red-ball cricket, keeping the Test tour of New Zealand in mind. Washington recently came back from Japan, where he was part of the gold medal-winning Indian team.
Earlier this year, Ashutosh had a stint with Hampshire in the One-Day Cup, where he picked 14 scalps in seven games, including a five-wicket haul, though he made only 56 runs with the bat. Gujarat will open their 2026/27 Ranji Trophy campaign against Odisha at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
