Ranji Trophy: Karnataka seek a strong restart

Bengaluru: As India's most prestigious domestic competition enters its second leg for the 2025-26 season, high-flying Karnataka would want to strengthen their grip at the top of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B points table when they host Madhya Pradesh at the KSCA ground in Alur here from Thursday.

For Karnataka, who have been starved of a Ranji Trophy title for over a decade, it will be about building on recent red-ball success and trying to bring back the glory days of the past as the tournament slowly moves towards the knockout stages. 

Given the current form of both teams, Karnataka will start as favourites to at least walk away with three points. However, if the surface is scratched with the strength of the teams on paper, the pendulum could swing either way, especially in a season that has seen some top teams struggle. And Karnataka would want to avoid that banana peel. 

On the batting front, Karun Nair will look to continue his stellar form, while top-order batters Mayank Agarwal and Devdutt Padikkal will be eager to resume where they left off in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

Nair has been at the forefront of Karnatana's run to the top of their group with 21 points, scoring 602 runs at 103.33, including two hundreds and two fifties, with a highest score of 233. 

Quality and consistency have put Nair back in the limelight, prompting questions about whether he deserved a longer rope with the Indian side, especially after their Test series loss to South Africa. On the other hand, Padikkal would be itching to get a big score, looking to build on his recent form. 

Among others, skipper Agarwal will hope to carry his VHT momentum into red-ball cricket, having scored just 291 runs in seven innings this Ranji season. 

Karnataka, however, will hope their openers fire in unison as both Aneesh KV and Nikin Jose have walked in and out of the eleven, having not made a big mark while partnering Agarwal. 

The pressure for a good start will certainly be higher in the Madhya Pradesh game as their second-highest run-getter, Smaran R (595 runs), is out with injury. 

While Karnataka will look to make the most of batting-friendly conditions here in Alur, it makes the bowlers’ role all the more important. 

While Vidwath Kaverappa has been a shadow of himself in both white-ball competitions, he has done fairly well in the Ranji Trophy, picking up 14 wickets at 15.92. 

However, Karnataka’s bowling has been heavily dependent on their spinners, with Shreyas Gopal (27), Mohsin Khan (12) and Shikhar Shetty (12) picking up 51 wickets between them.

DH has learnt that KL Rahul is yet to confirm his availability for the match on January 29 (Punjab) but Prasidh Krishna is available for selection. However, both will miss the game in Alur. 

For Madhya Pradesh, who sit third on the table with 16 points, it is imperative that their batting order comes good collectively against a quality Karnataka attack. 

Spinners Kumar Kartikeya (21 wickets) and Saransh Jain (19) have done the heavy lifting on the bowling front, and they will once again play a key role in MP’s chances. 

Teams: Karnataka: Mayank Agarwal (c), Nikin Jose, Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, Shrijith KL, Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal, Vidyadhar Patil, Vidwath Kaverappa, Abhilash Shetty, Mohsin Khan, Shikhar Shetty, Kruthik Krishna, Aneesh KV, M Venkatesh.

Madhya Pradesh: Harsh Gawli, Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma, Himanshu Mantri, Rajat Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer, Harpreet Singh, Sagar Solanki, Kumar Kartikeya, Saransh Jain, Adheer Pratap, Aryan Pandey, Anubhav Agarwal, Kuldeep Sen, Arshad Khan.

Other Group B fixtures: Maharashtra vs Goa, Saurashtra vs Punjab, Kerala vs Chandigarh.