India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill’s return to Ranji Trophy action for Punjab will be the main attraction when the second round of the domestic first-class tournament gets underway across the country on Sunday. Gill missed Punjab’s opening-round fixture, with former India Under-19 captain Uday Saharan leading the side in his absence as Punjab secured three points with a first-innings lead over Assam.
Punjab will face Chhattisgarh in their second match of the season.
Gill heads into the contest on the back of a prolific run in India’s 2-1 ODI series win over the West Indies, where he amassed 334 runs at an average of 167 to earn the Player-of-the-Series award.
In the second ODI, he smashed an unbeaten 223 off 133 balls, registering the fastest double-century in the format, as India chased down a target of 406 with 39 balls to spare to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. In another Group B fixture, Karnataka will be led by spin-bowling all-rounder Shreyas Gopal when they take on Saurashtra in Alur. The former champions will be without batter Ravichandran Smaran, who has joined the India A squad for the upcoming multi-day tour of New Zealand.
Karnataka will be boosted by the return of frontline pacers Vidwath Kaverappa and Vyshak Vijaykumar, who have recovered from injuries.
After being bowled out for 274 in their first innings against Andhra in the opening round, Karnataka mounted a fightback in their second essay, with veteran Karun Nair producing a resolute unbeaten 155 to help them salvage a draw and secure a point. Group B leaders Hyderabad, on the other hand, will look to consolidate their position at the top when they travel to face Andhra. They began their campaign with a bonus-point victory over Tripura, winning by an innings and 40 runs. Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan led the charge with a match haul of nine wickets as Hyderabad dominated Tripura to collect seven points.
In Group D, Mumbai will be without vice-captain and opening batter Ayush Mhatre when they take on Himachal Pradesh, with the depleted batting line-up facing an early test. India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is also unavailable as he is part of the India A squad for the New Zealand tour.
Mumbai have drafted in Divyansh Saxena and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who are likely to open the innings.
Mhatre’s return to competitive cricket after a lengthy injury layoff lasted only one innings, as he suffered a Grade 4 tear in his right hamstring during the opening round of the Ranji Trophy. The injury is expected to sideline him for another month. With Mhatre and Jaiswal unavailable, Mumbai will also hope for a return to form from middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan.
The domestic stalwart managed just one run against Chandigarh and will be keen to rediscover his touch after also recording a duck in the Irani Cup, following a first-innings 45 against defending Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir. In Group C, Delhi and Services will look to bounce back from heavy defeats in their opening matches when they take on Gujarat and Bengal, respectively.