Veteran opener Mayank Agarwal has been named Karnataka’s skipper in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, to be held in Ahmedabad from December 21, to January 5 next year. After a poor campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it will be a chance for the Mayank-led Karnataka team to make amends and fight for the trophy.
Mayank Agarwal In, Manish Pandey Out
Meanwhile, after playing a season for Kerala side, leg-spin all-round option, Shreyas Gopal has returned to the squad, albeit as a vice-captain of the side. The former RR player was excellent in the SMAT, and picked up 14 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 6.1. But in a shock move, ex-skipper Manish Pandey was overlooked for selection.
That could well mean the end of the road for the player, who was recently bagged by the KKR at the IPL Auction, for just INR 75 lakh. Manish has been a star player for Karnataka for a decade-and-a-half, and taken them to numerous titles. He has had an okayish Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where in 6 matches, he has managed to score 117 runs at an average of 29, and a strike-rate of 169.
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25
As far as the Vijay Hazare Trophy is concerned, Karnataka will open their campaign against Mumbai, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, on December 21. Karnataka are the four-time champions of the tournament, having last won the title in 2019-20. The team will be placed in Group C, along with Mumbai and Puducherry, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Saurashtra, Hyderabad and Nagaland.
Karnataka Squad
Mayank Agarwal (captain), Shreyas Gopal (vice-captain), S Nikin Jose, KV Aneesh, R Smaran, KL Shrijith, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Raj, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Vasuki Koushik, Vidyadhar Patil, Kishan Bedare, Abhilash Shetty, Manoj Bhandage, Pravin Dubey, Luvnith Sisodia.
