The second leg of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season commences on January 22, 2026. With just two group-stage fixtures left, the race for knockouts has also begun. Mumbai, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, and Vidarbha are in a prime position to reach the quarterfinals, but no team has sealed the spot yet.
Gill returns to Ranji after 15 months
Punjab, Saurashtra, Andhra, and Hyderabad aren’t in prime positions. But they’ll get a major boost as Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj have all made themselves available. The pacer has been made Hyderabad’s captain and will be leading a team for the first time in competitive cricket.
Gill, India’s Test captain, hasn’t played Ranji Trophy since November 2024. Since he’s out of the T20 World Cup reckoning, he’s decided to turn up for Punjab and keep himself in rhythm. Placed 6th in Group B, ahead of just Kerala and Chandigarh, Punjab needs to win both of its matches to vie for the quarterfinals. Gill had requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for red-ball camps to prepare for the home Test series. He’s now leading the way by showing the importance of the premier red-ball domestic tournament.
Ravindra Jadeja, who’s now a 2-format player, has returned for Saurashtra. He had played one match in the first leg and turned up again. Like Gill, Jadeja won’t play any cricket until the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 begins.
Shami, Sarfaraz & Padikkal in focus
Other international players will have a point to prove as well. Sai Sudharsan’s performance as India’s number three hasn’t been great. Currently, he’s out with injury. When the next Test commences in August against Sri Lanka, that spot might be up for grabs.
Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair will all fight for the spot. Sarfaraz, Nair and Padikkal exceptional runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy while Easwaran was slightly hit and miss. It’ll be fascinating to see whether any of them, barring Easwaran, moved up a spot or two.
Mohammed Shami will be the other player in focus. The veteran pacer has been doing well for Bengal but has been ignored for Team India. His last international game came in March 2025. This might be the time he makes one final push for the Test side.
