Ravindra Jadeja named in Saurashtra’s 16-man squad for Ranji opener against Chhattisgarh

Ravindra Jadeja has been named in Saurashtra’s 16-member squad for their opening match of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy against Chhattisgarh, with the fixture to take place at the start of the competition on October 11 in Rajkot. Jaydev Unadkat will retain the captaincy for the two-time champions.

Jadeja’s selection follows India’s 2-1 ODI series victory over the West Indies; he featured in two matches in that series, taking two wickets without batting. The all-rounder’s inclusion is intended to provide red-ball match practice ahead of India’s two-Test tour of New Zealand next month, with the Wellington Test scheduled for November 19-23 and the Christchurch match for November 27 to December 1.

Unadkat returns as captain after an impressive stint with Sussex, where he claimed 28 wickets in seven matches at an average of 22.21; his haul included a 5/32 against Hampshire and two four-wicket hauls. He is set to lead Saurashtra’s pace attack alongside Chetan Sakariya.

The 92nd edition of India’s premier domestic first-class competition gets underway on October 11, and Saurashtra have been placed in Elite Group B with Andhra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Punjab and Tripura. Saurashtra exited the tournament in its early stages last year and will be aiming for a stronger campaign in 2026-27.

The squad retains 14 players from last season, with pacer Neel Pandya and all-rounder Arth Yadav the new additions; Harvik Desai will keep wickets. The batting unit will include the experience of Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani and Jay Gohil. Saurashtra squad: Jaydev Unadkat (captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Harvik Desai (wk), Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Prerak Mankad, Jay Gohil, Chetan Sakariya, Ankur Panwar, Sammar Gajjar, Parth Bhut, Vishvarajsinh Jadeja, Hetvik Kotak, Neel Pandya, Arth Yadav, Tarang Gohel.

Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja will represent Chhattisgarh this season, and Parth Bhut is expected to shoulder a significant share of Saurashtra’s spin-bowling workload as the side seeks to improve on their group-stage elimination in 2025-26.

Saurashtra will begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Chhattisgarh at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.