KL Rahul Set for Ranji Trophy Comeback After 5 Years
The 32-year-old Indian batsman KL Rahul is all set to make a comeback to the Ranji Trophy after a gap of five years. Rahul will be part of the Karnataka team, which will be playing their last league stage match against 2024-25 season leaders Harayana.
The match will begin on January 30 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Rahul was scheduled to make his Ranji Trophy comeback against Punjab at the same ground last week but due to a minor injury, he pulled out of the match. Now on Tuesday, he has reached Bengaluru and is practicing with the team.
J Abhiram, chairman of the senior selection committee, said in an interview,
"Rahul will join the team for a few practice sessions and he has informed us about it. "
Rahul will be seen making a comeback in the Ranji Trophy later this week, but there is still no clarity on which position he will bat in the match against Haryana. Rahul scored 276 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.67 in the recent Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
Rahul is seen batting in the middle order in ODI cricket. In the three-match series against Sri Lanka last year, he batted at number 5. His record at this position has been fantastic. According to sources, Karnataka will consult the Indian team management for Rahul's batting position.
Meanwhile, Vidwath Kaverappa, who was injured during the Duleep Trophy in September 2024, is set to play the Ranji Trophy for the first time this season. He had rehabbed at the National Cricket Academy after which he got the green signal. Kaverappa may get a chance to play in place of Yashovardhan Parantap, who performed memorably against Punjab.