Ranji Trophy 2026-27: New-look Punjab starts campaign against Assam

Uday Saharan was handed captaincy of Punjab midway through last season. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

A revamped Punjab will relish its straightforward Ranji Trophy 2026-27 initiation when it hosts Assam in Group B at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, starting Sunday.

In a group that features Karnataka, Saurashtra, and Andhra, Punjab should have no complaints in starting its campaign against Assam, a side which picked just three points last season and barely avoided a drop to the Plate division.

Besides roping in a new head coach in Amit Uniyal, Punjab has placed its bets on a young batting core. Uday Saharan was handed captaincy midway through the last season, and the 22-year-old continues to hold the reins this year too.

International commitments keep Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir out of the first two rounds, and their absence will be another chance for Harnoor Singh Pannu to establish his credentials. The southpaw opener struck 170 against Kerala on his Punjab debut last season but ended with a slew of middling scores.

Vihaan Malhotra, who broke onto the scene at the Under-19 World Cup in January this year, should be poised for a First-Class debut.

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Another player taking a giant leap is left-arm orthodox Emanjot Singh Chahal, who was the Under-23 captain last season and joins the senior side on the back of a 10-fer for Rest of India against Tamil Nadu U-23 last week.

The new additions have not come at the expense of Punjab’s trademark attacking flair, as IPL stars Ramandeep Singh and Salil Arora have retained their spots.

In the two games played at the venue last year, pacers returned better yields, averaging 27, than the tweakers, who averaged close to 37, making Punjab’s pace salvo of Umesh Yadav and Gurnoor Brar an enticing prospect to watch out for.

While Punjab has dared to change, Assam begins its new season with its core intact. Its top four run-getters last season – Sibsankar Das, Swarupam Purkayastha, Sumit Ghadigaonkar and captain Denish Das – all retain their places.

However, only Das could cross 400 runs in the season and it would hope for a better aggregate from the backbone of its batting line.

Assam will be without left-arm orthodox Rahul Singh, its top wicket-taker last year, thus adding more responsibility on the shoulders of Mukhtar Hussain.

The 27-year-old pacer had replaced Akash Deep in the Duleep Trophy in 2025, but has since faded from memory. He had just 11 wickets at an average of 56 last season, and needs a drastic upturn to return to the reckoning, even at the zonal level.