A host of India cricket team regulars will be a part of the upcoming round of Ranji Trophy which commences this week. These are stars who are not a part of the T20 World Cup plans and have decided to play domestic cricket until the IPL 2026. Among the attractions are India Test team captain Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy. Rishabh Pant, who suffered an injury just before the start of IND vs NZ ODI series, is all but confirmed to miss this leg of the Ranji Trophy.
Gill reports for duty
As per Times of India, Gill has already linked up with the Punjab team and is scheduled to take part in the team’s clash against Saurashtra in Rajkot on January 22. This will be the first red-ball outing for the Indian captain since the neck injury he sustained in the IND vs SA 1st Test in Kolkata. With plenty of time left for India’s next Test series, Gill will be hoping to make most of the domestic cricket opportunities to hone his skills further. After all, the Punjab batter has plenty of time at hand, given that he has been snubbed from the T20 World Cup squad and hence will have no other competitive cricket until IPL.
Jadeja returns for Saurashtra
The report also claims that Jadeja will be in action on January 22 for Saurashtra against Punjab. The southpaw was last seen in action in the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand and had finished the tournament without creating any impact whatsoever. His red-ball career is not at the risk of meeting an abrupt end but he will have to keep himself well-oiled until the next series (vs Sri Lanka).
One of India’s reliable all-rounders, Jadeja had a rather average season in 2025, scoring 764 runs and picking up 25 wickets in 10 Tests. He now has a good opportunity to work on both his batting and bowling.
KL Rahul to feature for Karnataka
Meanwhile, KL Rahul will miss Karnataka’s game against Madhya Pradesh on January 22. Instead, he will be available for the game against Punjab on January 29.
Rishabh Pant to miss Ranji
Pant, who sustained an injury during training before the IND vs NZ 1st ODI, is set to miss this leg of the Ranji Trophy. He will instead report to BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru for further rehabilitation. DDCA sources told TOI that Pant will be unable to recover in time for Delhi’s fixture on January 29 and hence has not been named in the squad.
Nitish Kumar Reddy in action
Nitish will be available for selection for Andhra’s games against Vidarbha and Nagaland. With Reddy out of the scheme of things in T20Is at present, he has a good chances to hone his all-round skills in the longest format of the game before turning his attention towards SRH for IPL 2026.
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