Devdutt Padikkal has been appointed as the new captain of Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy team, replacing Mayank Agarwal for their crucial encounter against Punjab, which is their final league stage match.
While Padikkal takes over the captaincy, Mayank Agarwal remains in the squad as one of Karnataka’s six specialist batsmen. The squad also includes KL Rahul, who has played only two Ranji Trophy matches since 2018, with his last appearance against Haryana in January 2025.
The leadership change comes within a month of a new KSCA administration taking charge under President Venkatesh Prasad. Additionally, a new selection committee led by former Karnataka all-rounder Amit Verma was appointed in December to oversee the senior men’s team.
Sources from ESPNcricinfo indicate that the decision to appoint a younger captain was driven by strategic long-term planning. The selection committee also believes Agarwal would benefit from focusing solely on his batting at this stage.
Agarwal has had a challenging run in this season’s Ranji Trophy, scoring just 298 runs in nine innings at an average of 33.11, including one century and two fifties. In contrast, Padikkal has been in excellent form, notably finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 725 runs from nine innings at an impressive average of 90.62.
Karnataka’s batting lineup has received a boost with the return of Ravichandran Ashwin, who missed their previous game due to injury. However, they will be without Karun Nair, who suffered a split webbing injury against Madhya Pradesh; Nair did not bat in the second innings, with Nikin Jose replacing him on the field. Abhinav Manohar has been dropped from the squad.
Prasidh Krishna will lead Karnataka’s bowling attack in this match, marking his first appearance of the season after participating in two games last season.
With a defeat to Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka faces a must-win situation in their match against Punjab in New Chandigarh. Currently, they sit third in Group B with 21 points, trailing Maharashtra (24 points) and Madhya Pradesh (22 points). The league standings will be clarified as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh face off in their final match of the group stage.
