But more than anyone else, J&K will know that defending the title will be far tougher, as opponents will now be better prepared against them. The presence of India cricketers will provide gravitas to the Ranji Trophy 2026-27, which begins across various venues on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see whether the competition can produce another surprise champion. Jammu and Kashmir sent shockwaves through the premier domestic tournament by clinching the 2025-26 title with a victory over eight-time champions and star-studded Karnataka.
Among these teams, a clutch of India players will be making relatively rare appearances on the domestic circuit. KL Rahul (Karnataka), Washington Sundar (Tamil Nadu), Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra), Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai) and Rajat Patidar (Madhya Pradesh) are among the elite players who could feature either fully or partially during this Ranji Trophy season. Along with helping their respective teams, each of these players also enters the tournament with individual objectives. For Rahul and Jaiswal, it will be an opportunity to get valuable red-ball game time before travelling to New Zealand for a two-Test series. Washington will be eager to fine-tune his bowling before a possible selection in India’s Test squad, as indicated by his withdrawal from the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies. Then there are players such as Mohammed Shami, who has been away from the India setup for some time. His faint hopes of returning to the national side may have been boosted by the recent comeback of Bhuvneshwar Kumar to India’s T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand. With India set to play five home Tests against Australia early next year, Shami will hope that a string of strong performances for Bengal can rekindle the selectors’ interest in him. The selectors will also be closely monitoring emerging players and experienced performers alike throughout the season to broaden the pool of options, particularly after the recent spate of injuries to several frontline cricketers. In that context, several young players will be eager to impress. Teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has put Bihar firmly on the cricketing map, and players such as Saqibul Gani will be keen to capitalise on the renewed attention on the state. Jharkhand has quietly become a hub of exciting batting talent. The team no longer relies solely on the legacy of MS Dhoni or the star power of Ishan Kishan. Kumar Kushagra, Anukul Roy, Shikhar Mohan, Virat Singh and Sharandeep Singh have carried the side forward with a series of notable performances, and Jharkhand will expect a strong season from them. Among the young bowlers, Tamil Nadu’s Gurjapneet Singh, Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey, Telangana’s Tripurana Vijay and Uttar Pradesh’s Zeeshan Ansari will be keen to catch the selectors’ attention. Even though the early stages of the season will be dominated by the presence of India stars, these youngsters and seasoned domestic performers will have to carry the competition forward for the remainder of the campaign. That, too, promises to be equally fascinating.
Traditional powerhouses such as Mumbai, Karnataka, Bengal, Delhi, Saurashtra and Vidarbha, along with emerging forces like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, will all be aiming to lift the trophy on February 27, 2027. Shami has not played Test cricket since 2023 and has not represented India in any format since 2025, despite producing some impressive performances in last season’s domestic competitions. Matches begin across venues at 9:30 am. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
