While Team India’s T20 regulars get into the last phase of their preparation for the upcoming World Cup, others will head to the mandatory domestic grind. The likes of KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shubman
Gill will join their respective state teams in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, starting later this week.
According to the Times of India, Rahul is all set to feature for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy fixture against Punjab on January 29, but will be missing the game against Madhya Pradesh in Alur from January 22.
The Punjab vs Karnataka game will most likely feature Shubman Gill. The India Test captain has already joined his state side for the January 22 clash vs Saurashtra in Rajkot, and the contest will also feature India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Punjab’s road to qualification is a tough one. They need to win both their remaining group matches, and doing that against strong sides like Saurashtra and Karnataka will be far from easy.
Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy will be in action for Andhra in their final two group games against Vidarbha and Nagaland. Andhra sit second in Group A and have a genuine shot at making the knockouts. Reddy recently featured in the 3-match ODI series against New Zealand, which the visitors won 2-1.
The Indian team management sees him as a potential backup for Hardik Pandya in the limited-overs setup and is keen for the youngster to get as much match practice as possible ahead of India’s next international assignment.
Rishabh Pant to Miss Out
The report further suggested that wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is likely to head to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Pant was not named in Delhi’s squad for their game versus Chhattisgarh as he is unlikely to regain fitness before the next group game on January 29.
