Calcutta: After his eye-catching 'Momentum Jharkhand' campaign, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not only play in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, but captain his home state as well.

Whether it's pitching for investors from India and overseas or having a crack at a high-profile 50-over tournament, Jharkhand cannot do without the inspirational Dhoni.

Obviously, Dhoni is more than just the face of his state.

The 35-year-old Dhoni has long retired from Test cricket, but is still a key member of India's ODI and T20I teams. Last month, he relinquished the captaincy in the shorter formats, paving the way for Virat Kohli to lead in all three of them.

With Dhoni in the thick of things, Jharkhand's prospects are bound to soar in a tournament named after one of India's premier batsmen.

Confirmation on the Dhoni development wasn't possible from the Jharkhand State Cricket Association till late on Wednesday, but more than one source emphatically told The Telegraph that he'd given his consent.

While Saurabh Tiwary has been captaining Jharkhand for almost all of this season, Varun Aaron led in the 2015-2016 Vijay Hazare Trophy, when the state made the quarter finals.

Jharkhand's Group D matches will all be in Calcutta, with the first (against Karnataka) on February 25.

Later, Jharkhand face Chhattisgarh, Services, Saurashtra, Hyderabad and Jammu & Kashmir.

The ongoing season has already been memorable for Jharkhand as they made it to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals for the first time.