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.

 

The Tamil Nadu u-23 team began its season on the best possible note, comprehensively beating Rest of India u-23 by six wickets on the final day at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here. 

Fixed a target of 149 in 46 overs for an outright victory, the home team did more than enough in the last two sessions on Sunday. Having conceded the first-innings lead, RoI had no option but to make TN bat again to stand any chance of bagging the trophy. 

The away side did so after declaring its second essay at 431 for seven, built on a splendid double century from opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi (203, 281b, 16×4, 4×6) and a ton off the bat of No. 4 Digvijay Patil (106, 138b, 8×4). While both batters enjoyed slices of luck during their 249-run third-wicket stand, Raghuvanshi was rewarded for his immaculate strokeplay on a surface where the ball turned throughout and kept low at times. 

Left-arm spinner P. Vignesh (five for 144) was the chief contributor for TN, with his victims including Raghuvanshi. A few minutes after reaching his double hundred with a single over sweeper cover, the right-hander holed out to the deep midwicket fielder. RoI lost five wickets for just 32 runs before declaring its second innings. 

TN had a few hiccups in the chase, but the opposition rarely threatened to pull off a miracle.   

The scores: Rest of India u-23 179 & 431/7 decl. in 90 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 203, Ayush Jethwa 58, Digvijay Patil 106, P. Vignesh 5/144) lost to Tamil Nadu u-23 462 & 150/4 in 34.5 overs (K.T.A. Madhava Prasad 42). PoM: Madhava Prasad.

Tamil Nadu u-23 openers K.T.A. Madhava Prasad (150 batting, 302b, 20×4) and S.R. Athish (137, 203b, 19×4, 3×6) shone bright with centuries as Rest of India u-23 faced the heat on a day the sun was beating down at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here.

When the curtains were brought down on the second day — Friday — TN was well and truly in the ascendancy, sitting at 368 for one with an 189-run lead. The 250-run stand between Madhava Prasad and Athish deflated the hopes of the RoI bowlers, who employed different tactics only to get no returns for nearly five hours in total.

Madhava Prasad was content playing second fiddle to Athish for much of the first-wicket alliance. The right-hander used his feet well against the spinners, with one such move enabling him to bring up his ton. To join his opening partner in the century club, he reverse-swept left-arm tweaker Emanjot Singh Chahal with authority for a boundary.

Athish had luck on his side. The southpaw was dropped twice while inching closer to his hundred — by Angkrish Raghuvanshi at mid-on on 81 and 96 — and completed his milestone with a double over fine-leg off the last ball of the first session. Emanjot broke the mammoth partnership, having Athish caught at backward short-leg.

Madhava Prasad and Kiran Karthikeyan (56 batting, 98b, 8×4) stayed unconquered at the end of a fruitful day for the home team.

The scores: Rest of India u-23 179 vs. Tamil Nadu u-23 368/1 in 100 overs (S.R. Athish 137, K.T.A. Madhava Prasad 150 batting, Kiran Karthikeyan 56 batting).