Ranji 2025-26: Pant's return, new stars on horizon and veterans' battle for relevance

Bengaluru: The possibility of Rishabh Pant's return to action, an array of new stars on the horizon and a clutch of veterans' battle for relevance will provide much-needed context to the 91st edition of the Ranji Trophy, beginning across the country on Wednesday.

Pant's possible appearance in the second round is the highlight of Ranji Trophy's first phase, which otherwise lacks any immediate purpose in the larger scheme of things because of India's long Test winter after the home series against South Africa next month.

Pant is out of action since a Chris Woakes delivery fractured his toe at Manchester in July, and his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence is on the right track.

The wicketkeeper batter's name is missing from Delhi's jumbo squad of 24 players for the opening round match against Hyderabad.

But if the CoE green lights his return then the left-hander can either play the second round (vs Himachal Pradesh from October 25) or the third round (vs Puducherry from November 1).

It can give Pant the vital game time ahead of the series against world champions South Africa, beginning on November 14.

However, other than Pant, not many players would be nourishing any genuine hopes of entering the Indian team riding on their performance in the Ranji Trophy because the international calendar is packed with white-ball matches.

It is also highly unlikely that India will tinker with their chosen 15, which did the duty against the just-concluded series against the West Indies, considering the significance of a series against South Africa and the World Test Championship (WTC) points on offer.

As per the current Future Tours Programme, India's next Test series after November is scheduled in the second half of 2026.

So, what precisely is on offer for players in this Ranji Trophy? There is the pride of adding the premier red-ball trophy in the country into the cabinets as Mumbai will once again be hoping as the frontrunners to bag a 43rd title.

Defending champions Vidarbha will not like to give away the silverware easily, and teams like Kerala, last year's runners up, Saurashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka will be eager to regain the glory or write a new chapter.

New faces

But for either of those tasks, they will be hoping for a clutch of young names to come good.

A quick glance at the batters' section will offer names like R Smaran (Karnataka), Andre Siddarth (Tamil Nadu), Yash Dhull (Delhi), Priyansh Arya (Delhi), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Bihar), Ayush Mhatre (Mumbai) and Danish Malewar (Vidarbha).

The bowlers' segment too has some exciting talents such as Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha), Edhen Apple Tom (Kerala), Manav Suthar (Rajasthan), and Gurjapneet Singh (Tamil Nadu).

All of them had a pretty impressive beginning to their career, and would like to construct more layers of success to be in contention as and when slots are up for grabs in the national team.

Remember us?

These players were part of cricket chats not long ago, but now they have slipped out of reckoning due to various factors.

Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Rajat Patidar, all have had their moments under the sun before fading.

Now, they would want to press forward their individual cases with a stellar run this season.

They would be inspired by the tales of Karun Nair, who has returned to Karnataka from Vidarbha, and Narayan Jagadeesan, Tamil Nadu's domestic stalwart.

A fabulous two seasons with Vidarbha earned him a Test recall after eight years, while Jagadeesan boarded an England-bound flight as an injury replacement for Pant in July.

So, a fine run in the domestic circuit could bring a pleasant result when it is least expected.

The final roar

Mohammed Shami, one of the fiery heads of the Indian pace attack till recently, the pacer has been confined to sidelines for a while now.

The 35-year-old's last Test appearance was the WTC final against Australia at the Oval in 2023, while the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand at Dubai in March this year was his final outing in coloured clothing.

Similarly, Hanuma Vihari too has fallen out of selectors' radar since his highs in Australia a few years back, and the Tripura batter along with Shami will have to do something magical to claw back from the current depth.

At 37, Ajinkya Rahane's international career is as good as over, but the veteran of several battles will be keen to make the final chapter a bright one. Perhaps, another Ranji title with Mumbai will be a fitting send off.

The format

The Elite Group will have 32 teams spread across Groups A, B, C and D, while six teams will compete in the Plate Group.

This year too the two white-ball tournaments -- Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy -- will be sandwiched between two Ranji Trophy phases.

The first phase of the Ranji Trophy will be played between October 15-18 and November 16-19 before the teams disperse for the limited-overs events.

They will assemble back for the Ranji Trophy second phase , beginning from January 22, 2026 and it will culminate with the final starting on February 24, 2026.