Indian batter set to return to Ranji Trophy after 5 years in last group game of 2024-25 season

India batter KL Rahul is set to return to the Ranji Trophy after five years. The right-hander has been named in Karnataka's 17-member squad for their final Elite Group C clash, where they will host Haryana at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, starting Thursday, January 30.

KL Rahul was reportedly slated to play the state's previous match against Punjab but missed out due to an elbow injury. However, the India batter is now fit and will train with his state team on Tuesday and Wednesday.

His last appearance for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy came against Bengal in the 2019-20 semi-final, which the latter won by 174 runs. Rahul scored just 26 runs in the first innings and perished for a duck in the second. Thus, the 32-year-old will return to India's premier first-class competition after five years.

Rahul's inclusion comes as a boost ahead of a crucial encounter for Karnataka. They are placed third in their group at the moment with 19 points after beating Punjab by an innings and 207 runs in their previous match. For Karnataka to qualify for the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 knockouts, they will need to register a heavy win over Haryana to go through with bonus points.

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Karnataka Squad for Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Haryana

KL Rahul, who last played a first-class domestic match in the Duleep Trophy in September 2024, adds to Karnataka's batting strength for their final group stage Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Haryana. Mayank Agarwal will lead the side with all-rounder Shreyas Gopal as the vice-captain.

Rahul has played 103 first-class matches in his career so far and has amassed 7262 runs at an average of 42.71. The India batter also has 18 hundreds and 36 half-centuries to his name.

Here is Karnataka's 17-member squad for the clash against Haryana at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru:

Mayank Agarwal (captain), KL Rahul, Shreyas Gopal (vice-captain), Devdutt Padikkal, KV Aneesh, R Smaran, KL Shrijith (wk), Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Raj, Prasidh Krishna, Vidwath Kaverappa, Vasuki Koushik, Abhilash Shetty, Yashovardhan Parantap, Nikin Jose, Sujay Sateri (wk), Mohsin Khan.