R. Sai Kishore will lead Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season that begins next month. The TNCA senior selection committee has picked a 16-member squad for the opening fixture against Rajasthan, to be played in Jaipur from October 11 to 14.

Alongside the regulars, left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram returns after missing out last year due to injury. The squad features promising pacers R.D. Pranav Ragavendra and D. Deepesh. The youngsters are known for their ability to bowl at a brisk pace, something TN has not had in a while. While Pranav made his debut in the 2024-25 season, Deepesh has received his maiden call-up.

“We got good feedback about Pranav during the recent India under-19 tour to Sri Lanka. These two are the future, and we want to allow them to mature. In three years, they will be the backbone of our attack,” said Sunil Subramanian, chairman of the selection committee.

Meanwhile, C. Andre Siddarth, who will play in his third season, has been named vice-captain. The 20-year-old was TN’s third-highest run-scorer (409 runs) last term. “He led the side well in the intra-squad game, and we are looking at grooming him for the future,” Sunil added.

On promising opener B. Sachin not making the cut, Sunil said that with S.R. Athish being the back-up wicketkeeper and G. Ajitesh doing well in the practice match, he had to miss out.

The squad: R. Sai Kishore (Capt.), C. Andre Siddarth (Vice-capt.), G. Ajitesh (wk), S. Ajith Ram, S.R. Athish, D. Deepesh, G. Govinth, J. Hemchudeshan, B. Indrajith, N. Jagadeesan, Nidhish S. Rajagopal, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, R.D. Pranav Ragavendra, P. Saravana Kumar, R. Sonu Yadav, R. Vimal Khumar.

Standby/development squad: B. Aaditya, A. Esakkimuthu, Manav Parakh, S. Radhakrishnan, B. Sachin.

When Mohammed Shami walks onto the MAC Stadium turf on Sunday for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, it will be a momentous occasion for the 36-year-old, who will be featuring in his 100th First Class match.

As he aims to return to the national team, Shami has been putting in the hard yards in domestic cricket. Last year, the pacer took 37 wickets in the Ranji Trophy from seven matches as Bengal narrowly missed out on making the summit clash.

This season, in two Duleep outings so far, the veteran speedster has bowled with pace and verve, prompting East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan to praise him lavishly.

“He has been picking up wickets, giving all his energy. He is coming in and asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets.

“It is hard when you are not regularly playing for the Indian team and to have that kind of motivation for domestic games. But I see that hunger in him.

“You can see when he is trying to help me — he comes and gives options about what can be done,” Kishan added.

At a time when Jasprit Bumrah is battling injuries and Mohammed Siraj is not looking at his sharpest, another good run in domestic cricket could get Shami back in the reckoning.

India’s next Test tour is to New Zealand, where conditions will be seamer-friendly. Shami can also be a great asset in the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, a tournament where he boasts of a stellar record — 55 wickets at a world-leading average of 13.52.

In the last Duleep game against Central Zone in Bengaluru, the way Shami set up Yash Rathod — testing the batter outside the off-stump, softening him up with a few bouncers before nipping one away to get him caught behind — showed a bowler still at the top of his game.

During that fixture, National selector Pragyan Ojha had a long discussion with the pacer from Amroha. Opening of a fresh chapter in Shami’s international career? Time will tell.

A scheduling mess by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could leave Rest of India with a depleted squad for its prestigious Irani Cup contest against Ranji Trophy champion Jammu and Kashmir.

Following the convention, the Irani Cup is scheduled in Srinagar, the home of Jammu and Kashmir, from October 1 to 5. The fixture, however, clashes with the second of two multi-day games between India-A and Australia-A, set to be hosted in Puducherry from September 29 to October 2.

The Rest of India squad has traditionally been the most star-studded First Class unit after the Test side. The overlap of the matches, though, will leave the National selection committee to take a difficult decision: field a full-strength team against Australia-A or prioritise the Irani Cup as the premier domestic fixture.

The selectors could also attempt a balancing act by splitting the prominent players between the sides. An insider at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, which is closely involved in planning the A-tour itinerary along with the Board’s cricket operations wing, said that the situation could have been avoided had the three one-dayers against Australia-A been scheduled between the two four-day games.

But, the clash could provide an “opportunity” for more players to make a case at a higher level. Sandeep Patil, the 1983 World Cup champion and a mentor of Mumbai’s Ranji team, preferred to look at that aspect.

“Instead of 11 or 12, double the number of players will get an opportunity to deliver a strong show,” Patil said. “Due to such a tight calendar, such clashes have become a part of it. I won’t even term it unfortunate since it’s not just happening in India. All the major cricket nations are facing the same dilemma,” he said.

The schedule: Irani Cup: Oct. 1 to 5 at Srinagar.

India-A vs. Australia-A: Multi-day: Sept. 22 to 25 and Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 (both at Puducherry); one-dayers: Oct. 6, 9 & 11 (all at Puducherry).

In decades gone by, the Duleep Trophy was considered as a stepping stone for players aiming to break into the Indian Test team. Even though the zonal competition no longer retains that allure, getting picked for the season-opener is a considerable boost for the top performers of the previous Ranji Trophy campaign.

Ask Sanat Sangwan. The Delhi opener grabbed eyeballs in the 2025-26 Ranji season, racking up 828 runs — third in the list of highest scorers behind Karnataka’s R. Smaran and teammate Ayush Doseja — in 14 innings at an average of 69. The 25-year-old has been deservedly rewarded with a spot in the North Zone squad, which begins its Duleep Trophy campaign against West Zone at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Although Sanat will go into the First Class tournament on the back of playing T20 cricket in the Delhi Premier League, the left-hander’s preparation in recent weeks had covered all bases.

“Along with playing in the DPL, I had been practising against the red ball. To do well in red-ball cricket, you have to work harder. It is a more difficult format for openers since we have to face the new ball. I tend to prepare more for red-ball cricket in the off-season,” Sanat said during a media interaction in the National capital.

During the course of Sanat’s prolific run-making exploits last season, his propensity to wear down bowling attacks was impressive. The youngster, who counts Virat Kohli and Lewis Hamilton among his sporting idols, prides himself on his patience in the longest format.

“My temperament has been suitable for red-ball cricket from the outset. I look to ensure that my shot-selection is in sync with how I’ve prepared,” he mentioned. “I don’t play a cover drive in the first hour. I don’t play away from my body. You can still get out, but the chances reduce. It frustrates bowlers. Once you are set, you can open up.”

Tamil Nadu pacer Sandeep Warrier has decided to shift allegiance and will play for Chhattisgarh as a ‘Guest Player’ in the upcoming domestic season (2026-27).

The 35-year-old started his First-Class career with Kerala and became a registered TN player in 2020. Over the last five years, he has been the pace spearhead and was part of two Syed Mushtaq Ali T20-winning squads (2021, 2021-22). He also played a key role in TN reaching the Ranji Trophy semifinals in 2023-24 for the first time in a long time.

“I had a good time with TN and won two titles and was part of knockouts twice in Ranji Trophy. In every year that I was part of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the team reached the knockouts. I had a offer from Chhattisgarh and it was an amicable decision,” said Warrier.

However, last year Warrier had a forgettable campaign, taking only six wickets in the first five matches and was dropped for the final two matches.

Warrier, though, continues to ply his trade in the TNPL with Dindigul Dragons and will continue to feature in the T20 league.

TN’s Ranji fixtures

Tamil Nadu will kickstart its Ranji Trophy campaign against Rajasthan in Jaipur in the first round starting on October 11.

It will be followed by home fixtures against Uttarakhand and Railways. Chandigarh, Himachal, Mumbai and Haryana are the other teams TN will face in Elite Group-D in the upcoming season.

As a young boy watching cricket on television, Manav Krishna was enamoured by M.S. Dhoni’s lightning-fast skills behind the stumps. He developed a fascination with wicket-keeping and dreamt of becoming a cricketer like the former Indian captain.

Today, Manav is one of the brightest young talents in Kerala cricket, having played in the Ranji Trophy before earning an under-19 India cap.

However, the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) has proved to be an elusive stage for Manav, who is yet to play a single match in the State’s premier T20 tournament.

He was a surprise omission in the second season auction. Though he was picked as a replacement midway through the league, a call-up for the NCA camp delayed his KCL debut.

The long-awaited debut may be on the horizon in the third season after getting selected by Thrissur Titans.

The 18-year-old heads into the tournament high on confidence after scoring a century against Sri Lanka in the second youth Test in July.

He remains optimistic that he will be able to make the transition from the slow-burning longer format to the frantic pace of T20 cricket.

“I am very confident that I will be able to adapt to T20 cricket, and I think I have the strokes to succeed in this format. I played on a good batting track in Sri Lanka and made good use of the opportunity. I played the ball on merit, and it was satisfying to score a century against Sri Lanka,’’ he said.

Manav enjoyed a prolific 2025-26 season in the Cooch Behar Trophy, amassing 590 runs with two centuries. His batting was the lone bright spot for Kerala in a disastrous campaign. Manav’s consistent performance earned him a place in the Ranji Trophy team. He made his debut against Goa and impressed with his glovework, taking four catches and playing a small but significant role in his team’s consolation win.

Manav’s rise, however, is also a story of a bold leap of faith when he made the calculated decision to shift his cricketing base from the hyper-competitive corridors of Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram.

He found a mentor in S.S. Shine at St. Mary’s Cricket Academy. “I have been training under Shine sir ever since I came to Thiruvananthapuram. He has played a big part in moulding my career and refining my skills’’ said Manav.

“He is very hard-working, sincere and above all, very focused. I am happy with the way he has progressed, and the India Under-19 cap doesn’t surprise me. He is one of the best young talents in Kerala right now,’’ said Shine.

And Manav is trying his best to live up to the expectations.

Former India and Karnataka pacer R. Vinay Kumar is all set to be appointed as the State’s new head coach.

He is expected to take the position vacated by Yere Goud, who guided Karnataka to the Ranji Trophy final last season and has since moved to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence as a batting coach.

Vinay, who has 442 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, captained Karnataka to back-to-back Ranji triumphs in 2013-14 and 2014-15. But the southern powerhouse hasn’t tasted title-winning success in red-ball cricket since then.

His appointment is expected to be ratified in the coming days by the KSCA Managing Committee, and as a precursor to the 2026-27 season, Vinay recently held a fast bowlers camp, which saw participation from the likes of V. Vyshak and Vidwath Kaverappa.

Karnataka stuttered on day one of its final round Ranji Trophy fixture against Punjab, letting the host recover from a precarious 168 for six to reach 303 for nine at stumps.

The visitors, who are third in Elite Group-B with 21 points, need an outright win to ensure qualification for the knockouts without help from other teams. But at the I.S. Bindra PCA Stadium on Thursday, Karnataka did not show the required ruthlessness.

The fact that both sides lined up with spin-heavy attacks and a Shubman Gill-less Punjab opted to bat indicated that the pitch was predominantly dry and that first-innings runs would be crucial.

But apart from leggie Shreyas Gopal (three for 48) and pacer Vidyadhar Patil (three for 46), the rest failed to bowl tight lines for sustained periods. Left-arm spinner Shikhar Shetty’s travails were particularly stark, for the 20-year-old sprayed the ball and couldn’t capitalise on the moderate amount of turn on offer.

After Prabhsimran Singh fell early, Abhijeet Garg (81, 133b, 8×4, 2×6) and captain Uday Saharan (44, 72b, 6×4, 1×6) put on 102 flawless runs. Garg was compact on the off-side and expansive on the on-side while Saharan came up with an array of beautiful drives.

However, from 108 for one, Punjab slipped to 168 for six. Offie Mohsin Khan sent back Saharan, before Shreyas grabbed two in two, including the wicket of Anmolpreet Singh, who was foxed by a googly first ball.

Vidyadhar’s nagging fourth-stump line fetched the right reward as Anmol Malhotra (25, 46b, 2×4, 1×6) was caught behind. But 21-year-old Emanjot Singh Chahal (77 batting, 134b, 8×4, 1×6) and Ayush Goyal (23, 82b, 2×4) added 81 runs to resurrect Punjab. The former batted freely, using his feet well and collecting boundaries at will.

A fine stumping from debutant wicket-keeper Kruthik Krishna ended that association but No. 10 batter Sukhdeep Bajwa added 20 runs to further frustrate the away side. Karnataka now needs nothing short of a superlative batting effort.

The scores:

Punjab — 1st innings: Abhijeet Garg c Rahul b Shreyas 81, Prabhsimran Singh c Shikhar b Vidyadhar 5, Uday Saharan c Rahul b Mohsin 44, Jashanpreet Singh c Mohsin b Shreyas 6, Anmolpreet Singh b Shreyas 0, Anmol Malhotra c Kruthik b Vidyadhar 25, Emanjot Singh Chahal (batting) 77, Ayush Goyal st. Kruthik b Mohsin 23, Harpreet Brar c Kruthik b Vidyadhar 9, Sukhdeep Bajwa b Prasidh 20, Anmoljeet Singh (batting) 0; Extras: (lb-12, w-1): 13; Total (for nine wkts. in 91 overs): 303.

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-108, 3-119, 4-119, 5-168, 6-168, 7-249, 8-272, 9-309.

Karnataka bowling: Prasidh 14-1-58-1, Vidyadhar 15-4-46-3, Shikhar 15-2-54-0, Mohsin 25-0-85-2, Shreyas 22-6-48-3.

Toss: Punjab.