Virat Kohli, KL Rahul presence to headline last round of Ranji Trophy fixtures | Cricket News

With the last round of Ranji Trophy set to begin Thursday, few of top Indian players who missed the previous match will be seen in action. Virat Kohli is all set to play his first Ranji match for Delhi since 2012, while KL Rahul will turn up for Karnataka since his last outing in March 2019. Meanwhile, as previously been reported The Indian Express, the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant who featured in the sixth round last week will not be available for this round as they want to start their preparations for the upcoming ODIs against England.
Here are the players who are returning to the Ranji fold…
Virat Kohli: All eyes will be on India’s star batsman who hasn’t played in India’s premier domestic tournament since 2012 when he takes the field for Delhi against Railways at the Kotla. Delhi’s hopes of making it to the quarterfinals ended with their defeat against Saurashtra last week. So apart from this fixture marking Kohli’s return, it doesn’t hold much significance. Pant will not be playing this match.
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KL Rahul: The last time the opener turned up for Karnataka was in their semi-final appearance against Bengal in 2019 when they lost. After seeking a break from the previous round because of a niggle, Rahul will take the field in Karnataka’s must-win fixture against Haryana at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Karnataka are third in the table and need to win the match with a bonus point against Haryana that are placed top of Group C. Rahul’s presence will no doubt be a huge boost for Karnataka.
Mohammed Siraj: The Hyderabad pacer was rested from the previous round to manage his workload as he played all five Tests in Australia. Now not part of India’s ODI team, Siraj will turn out for Hyderabad in their last match against Vidarbha at Nagpur. The seamer has been struggling off late with his rhythm and playing the game against a team that has pocketed more points than any other team this season will be a good challenge for Siraj. Hyderabad are out of knockout contention.
Ravindra Jadeja: Despite being part of the ODI squad, Jadeja will turn out for Saurashtra in their must-win match against Assam at Rajkot. The former champions are third in the table and if they win this match with or without a bonus point have a chance to get into the quarterfinals ahead of Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh provided these two teams drop points. With another rank turner expected at Rajkot, Jadeja’s presence will strengthen Saurashtra who looked down and out before the sixth round began last week.
Riyan Parag, who missed the previous match because of a shoulder injury, will also make his return at Rajkot.Story continues below this ad
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Karnataka vs HaryanaBengal vs PunjabBaroda vs Jammu & Kashmir
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