Ranji Trophy 2017-2018: 6 teams that can go all the way

Tamil Nadu

Ravichandran Ashwin is set to play for Tamil Nadu in the season opener

India's Test opener Murali Vijay and champion off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have been included in the squad for the opening game against Andhra Pradesh. The duo are expected to bolster the team in the absence of wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar.

The team, led by Abhinav Mukund has an exciting blend of youth and experience with the likes of Baba Indrajith and Washington Sundar fresh from their exploits in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.

The 17-year-old will be one of the players to watch out for in the coming season after his stellar performances in the Indian Premier League and the finals of the Duleep Trophy.

Tamil Nadu is regarded as one of the dark horses in the lead up to the tournament and will be looking to turn things around after their semi-final loss to Mumbai in the previous edition.

Squad: Abhinav Mukund (c), Baba Indrajith, Murali Vijay, M Kaushik Gandhi, N. Jagadeesan, Baba Aparajith, M S Washington Sundar, Rahil S Shah, Krishnamoorthy Vignesh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshminarayanan Vignesh, Ravi Srinivasan Sai Kishore, V Lakshman, Rohith Ramkumar, Malolan Rangarajan.