KL Rahul is set to feature for Karnataka in the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy opener on October 11 against Andhra in Vijayawada. His inclusion is part of a BCCI directive that has asked all the Test regulars to play some red-ball cricket with the two-Test series in New Zealand coming up.
Rahul is part of a strong batting line-up that features Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and new stand-in captain R Smaran. Mayank is returning from a four-match county stint with Durham, while Smaran was recently player of the Rest of India squad at the Irani Cup with scores of 68 and 125 against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir.
Devdutt Padikkal, the designated all-format captain, is expected to miss much of the Ranji season due to national commitments. Padikkal is part of the India A squad for the three-match series against Australia A in Puducherry. The series finishes on October 11, the same day as the start of the Ranji season.
Post his India A white-ball commitments, it's likely Padikkal will be part of the India A red-ball squad that will play New Zealand A as part of their shadow tour. Padikkal is considered to be a sure shot for the Test squad following strong performances in Sri Lanka, where he made scores of 167, 44 and 117 while batting at No. 3 in B Sai Sudharsan's absence.
Karnataka's squad also includes fast bowler Prasidh Krishna. However, his participation is uncertain as he races against time to be fit for the New Zealand tour after picking up a hamstring strain during the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies.
Meanwhile, spin allrounder Washington Sundar too has been asked to play in the Ranji opener for Tamil Nadu against Rajasthan in Jaipur with an eye on the New Zealand tour. Washington was recently pulled out of the T20I squad against West Indies to get some game time with the red ball upon his arrival from Japan, where he was part of the Asian Games gold-medal-winning squad.