Rishabh Pant, who is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket, will play for Delhi in the 2025-26 edition of the Ranji Trophy. According to a report in the Times of India, the 28-year-old left-handed batter was included in the squad on Thursday (October 9) and will play the Elite Group D match for the seven-time champions against Himachal Pradesh at Arun Jaitley Stadium to prove his fitness ahead of India’s team selection for the two-match Test series against South Africa in November 2025.
It has been reported that Pant, who is an all-format player for India, will captain the Delhi team against Himachal Pradesh.
Pant, who is India’s highest run-getter in Test cricket, last played a competitive match in July 2025 against England
at Old Trafford in Manchester. On Day 1 of the Test match, which was played from July 23 to 27 and ended in a draw, Pant suffered a foot injury in an attempt to play a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes’ bowling.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) picked a 25-member squad for the first two matches on Thursday and included Nitish Rana as well in it. Rana, who has played one ODI and two T20Is for Team India against Sri Lanka in July 2021, is back in Delhi after playing the last two seasons for Uttar Pradesh.
Lucknow Super Giants batter Ayush Badoni is all set to captain Delhi in the first match against Hyderabad at NexGen Cricket Ground but will be replaced by Pant for the second match if the wicketkeeper-batter is available for selection. Former India U-19 captain Yash Dhull will be Badoni’s deputy.
Rana’s selection in Delhi’s squad is a surprise because he wasn’t considered for red-ball cricket by the Delhi selectors before he shifted his base to UP, and in UP as well he struggled to do well in the premier domestic competition.
According to DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma, Rana is picked for the first two matches due to his performance in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025.
“Nitish Rana is an experienced player, and he scored runs in the DPL,” Sharma was quoted as saying by TOI.
