RANJI TROPHY | Punjab should relish opening its campaign against Assam

In a group that features Saurashtra, Andhra, and Karnataka, a revamped Punjab will have no qualms in kicking off its Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season against Assam at the New PCA Stadium here, starting Sunday.

Assam picked just three points last season and barely avoided a drop to the Plate division, making it the ideal team to face for a newly-assembled unit.

Besides roping in a new head coach in Amit Uniyal, Punjab has placed its bets on a young batting core. International commitments keep Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir out of the first two rounds, and their absence will be another chance for Harnoor Singh Pannu to establish his credentials. The southpaw opener struck 170 against Kerala on his Punjab debut last season but ended with a slew of middling scores.

The new additions have not come at the expense of Punjab’s trademark attacking flair, as IPL stars Ramandeep Singh and Salil Arora have retained their spots.

Emanjot Singh Chahal, who was the Under-23 captain last season, takes a leap into First-Class this year. He joins the senior side on the back of a 10-for for Rest of India against Tamil Nadu U-23 last week.

In the two games played at the venue last year, pacers returned better yields, averaging 27, than the tweakers, who averaged close to 37, making Punjab’s pace salvo of Umesh Yadav and Gurnoor Brar an enticing prospect to watch out for.

While Punjab has dared to change, Assam begins its new season with its core intact. Its top four run-getters last season — Sibsankar Das, Swarupam Purkayastha, Sumit Ghadigaonkar and captain Denish Das — all retain their places.

Pacer Mukhtar Hussain had replaced Akash Deep in the Duleep Trophy in 2025, but has since faded from memory. He had just 11 wickets at an average of 56 last season, and needs a drastic upturn to be in the reckoning again, even at the zonal level.