According to a Times of India report, Rahul will miss Karnataka’s match against Madhya Pradesh in Alur on January 22 but is expected to join the squad for the match in Punjab. The decision is in line with the BCCI’s emphasis on top players participating in domestic tournaments, especially those not involved in direct international duties. The Punjab-Karnataka match is already generating significant interest as Indian Test captain Shubman Gill is also likely to represent Punjab in the same match.
Gill has already joined Punjab for their January 22 match against Saurashtra in Rajkot, a match that will also feature Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Previously, Gill opted to maximize his red-ball playing time following his omission from India’s T20 World Cup plans.
Punjab, in particular, faces a difficult qualification process. They need two wins from their remaining group matches to keep their knockout hopes alive and clashes with strong teams like Saurashtra and Karnataka make the task challenging.
Moreover, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will continue to represent Andhra in their remaining group matches against Vidarbha and Nagaland. Andhra are currently second in Group A and have a great chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Reddy, who recently scored a half-century in the ODI series against New Zealand, is seen by the Indian team management as a potential backup to Hardik Pandya in the limited-overs setup.
Notably, India Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant is unlikely to feature in the Ranji Trophy. He was not named in Delhi’s squad for their match against Chhattisgarh and is expected to head to the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru as he continues his recovery.
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