KL Rahul made 130 and 141 in last season’s Ranji knockouts, and he is back for Karnataka’s opener in Vijayawada
KL Rahul is in Karnataka’s side for their Ranji Trophy opener against Andhra from Sunday, part of a BCCI push for India’s Test players to get red-ball cricket before the New Zealand tour.
Oct 10, 2026
KL Rahul has a Ranji Trophy game to play before India’s next Test. He has joined Karnataka in Vijayawada for their 2026-27 season opener against Andhra, a four-day match at the ACA ground in Mulapadu that starts on Sunday, 11 October. Spectators will not be allowed in.
His inclusion follows a BCCI directive asking India’s Test regulars to get some red-ball cricket before the two-Test series in New Zealand. The first Test is at the Basin Reserve in Wellington from 19 November, and the second at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from 27 November.
Big runs in last season’s knockouts
Karnataka know what he can do in this competition. Rahul made 59 against Punjab in Mohali in January, then scored 130 in the 2025-26 quarter-final at the BKC in Mumbai, where Karnataka chased 325 to knock Mumbai out by four wickets. He was Player of the Match. In the semi-final against Uttarakhand in Lucknow he made 141 and an unbeaten 86, and Karnataka went through on first-innings lead after a draw.
The final in Hubballi went the other way. Rahul was out for 13 in the first innings, Jammu and Kashmir took a first-innings lead of 291, and they won their first Ranji Trophy title.
Smaran leads, Padikkal is away
Ravichandran Smaran will captain the side. Devdutt Padikkal is Karnataka’s designated all-format captain, but he is with India A for the one-day series against Australia A in Puducherry, which finishes on the day the Ranji season starts.
Smaran comes in with runs behind him. He was Player of the Match in the Irani Cup in Srinagar, where his second-innings hundred dragged Rest of India out of 197 for 8 and set up a 167-run win over Jammu and Kashmir. He was also there at the end against Mumbai in February, unbeaten on 83 after Rahul fell.
The rest of the top order is not short of experience. Mayank Agarwal, who made 160 in last season’s final, is back from four matches with Durham in county cricket, and Karun Nair is in the squad too. Prasidh Krishna has been named, but he is racing to be fit for New Zealand after a hamstring strain in the ODI series against West Indies, so he may not play.
Rahul is not the only Test player sent back to his state. Washington Sundar is due to turn out for Tamil Nadu against Rajasthan in Jaipur, also from Sunday.