Devdutt Padikkal will lead Karnataka against Punjab in next week’s Ranji Trophy match in Alur, the state association confirmed late on Monday. The 23-year-old left-hander steps in for Mayank Agarwal, who keeps his place as an opening batter but relinquishes a role he has held since 2023-24.
“It’s a big responsibility, and I’ll lean on the senior players,” Padikkal said in a brief KSCA release. “Right now, the only aim is to collect full points.”
Agarwal’s removal follows a modest season—298 runs at 33.11, including a single hundred—and comes only a month after a change of guard at the Karnataka State Cricket Association. Former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad is the new president, while ex-all-rounder Amit Verma heads the revamped selection panel.
Padikkal’s own red-ball campaign has been stop-start. He made 96 in the opening round but missed four subsequent fixtures before returning for the loss to Madhya Pradesh, where he bagged a pair. White-ball form, though, has been exceptional: 725 runs in nine Vijay Hazare Trophy knocks at 90.62.
Karnataka have also drafted KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna, both set for their first first-class outings of the season. Rahul, limited to two Ranji appearances since 2018, last played the competition a year ago, while Prasidh has not featured since recovering from a back stress fracture. Bowling coach Mansur Ali explained the timing: “Prasidh’s workloads are finally at the level we want. If he’s fit, he plays.”
Ravichandran Smaran returns from a hamstring twinge, but Karun Nair remains sidelined with split webbing suffered in Indore. Nair did not bat in the second innings there, forcing Nikin Jose to field as a substitute.
The equation is simple. Karnataka sit third in Group B on 21 points, trailing Maharashtra (24) and Madhya Pradesh (22), who face each other in Pune. Victory with bonus points would all but secure qualification; anything less leaves qualification to net run-rate calculations.
Squad: Devdutt Padikkal (capt), Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Smaran, Nikin Jose, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Gopal, BR Sharath (wk), Praveen Dubey, Vidwath Kaverappa, Prasidh Krishna, Vysakh Vijayakumar, MB Darshan, Suchith J, Krishnappa Gowtham.
The four-day match begins on Friday, 30 January.
