KL Rahul’s Ranji Trophy participation confirmed, he is set to play for Karnataka….

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India’s veteran cricketer KL Rahul is all set to announce his return to the Ranji Trophy after a decade. Rahul will start in Karnataka’s next Ranji match against Haryana on January 30, according to TOI.

Rahul was earlier scheduled to play against Punjab in Karnataka but was ruled out due to an elbow injury. However, he confirmed his availability for the next match against Haryana, which will be his last domestic match before the Champions Trophy.

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KL Rahul is back to play Ranji Trophy for Karnataka

Rahul’s previous Ranji match was in 2016. He scored 337 and 43 points in both games.

Rahul’s return boosts Karnataka’s chances of advancing to the next round of the Ranji Trophy. It will also be their last group match before the crucial playoffs begin.

Karnataka are second in the points table with 19 points from six matches. They have registered two straight wins in their 6 matches so far and are behind the top-ranked Haryana with 20 points to their name.

Karnataka will be high on confidence after their recent big win over Punjab. Despite a hundred from Shubman Gill, they beat Punjab by 207 runs in a huge innings. The win boosted their chances of qualifying and they will aim to go there with confidence.

KL Rahul in BGT 2024-25

KL Rahul played as an opener in the Indian team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rahul started the series well but failed to deliver consistent performances

Indian captain Rohit Sharma gave up his opening slot to accommodate Rahul at the top. However, he failed to score significantly in the last two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney. In total, he scored 276 runs in five Tests at an average of 30.66 with 2 fifties.

KL Rahul in the Indian Championship Trophy

Meanwhile, KL Rahul is part of the Indian squad for the ODI series against England scheduled to start from February 6. This series will be important for the Champions Trophy 2025 as the players will want to prepare for the marquee tournament.

There were doubts about Rahul’s inclusion in the ODI squad, but the selectors decided to trust his wicket-keeping and middle-order batting ability. Rahul is likely to be India’s first choice wicket keeper in the tournament with Rishabh Pant the second wicket keeper in the team.

Rahul has an outstanding ODI record, scoring 2851 runs in 77 matches at an impressive average of 49.15 and a strike rate of 87.56. In the last few years, he has changed his role to a middle-order batsman and has made the position his own.