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A number of regulars from the India cricket team are gearing up to participate in the upcoming round of the Ranji Trophy, which kicks off this week. These players, who aren’t part of the T20 World Cup plans, have chosen to focus on domestic cricket until the IPL 2026. Among the notable names are India’s Test team captain Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Unfortunately, Rishabh Pant, who picked up an injury just before the IND vs NZ ODI series, is almost certain to miss this round of the Ranji Trophy. 

According to the Times of India, Gill has already joined the Punjab team and is set to play in their match against Saurashtra in Rajkot on January 22. This will mark his first red-ball game since the neck injury he suffered during the IND vs SA 1st Test in Kolkata. With plenty of time before India’s next Test series, Gill is eager to take full advantage of these domestic matches to sharpen his skills. After all, with his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad, he has no competitive cricket lined up until the IPL. 

The report also mentions that Jadeja will be back in action on January 22 for Saurashtra against Punjab. The left-hander was last seen in the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand, where he didn’t make much of an impact. While his red-ball career isn’t in jeopardy, he’ll need to stay in form until the next series against Sri Lanka. 

As one of India’s dependable all-rounders, Jadeja had a fairly average season in 2025, scoring 764 runs and taking 25 wickets in 10 Tests. Now, he has a great chance to refine both his batting and bowling skills. 

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KL Rahul is set to play for Karnataka, but he won’t be in action for their match against Madhya Pradesh on January 22. Instead, he’ll be back on the field for the game against Punjab on January 29. 

As for Rishabh Pant, he’s going to miss this round of the Ranji Trophy after picking up an injury during training ahead of the IND vs NZ 1st ODI. He’ll be heading to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru for some rehabilitation. According to sources from the DDCA, Pant won’t be fit in time for Delhi’s match on January 29, so he hasn’t been included in the squad.

On a brighter note, Nitish Kumar Reddy is available for selection for Andhra’s upcoming matches against Vidarbha and Nagaland. With his current absence from T20Is, he has a great opportunity to sharpen his all-round skills in the longer format before gearing up for IPL 2026 with SRH.