Defending champions Karnataka have announced their 16-member squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy that will commence from December 24. One of the notable inclusions in the team is that of KL Rahul, who has been absent from domestic cricket for quite some time due to international duty. Mayank Agarwal will be the one leading the team in the upcoming 50-over tournament.
Rahul and Prasidh expected to leave mid-tournament
Alongside Rahul, pacer Prasidh Krishna has also been included in the squad. Both of them are a part of India's ODI set-up and are expected to leave the state team when the national team locks horns against New Zealand in a three-match one-day assignment at home that will commence from January 11. This will see the two miss the end of Karnataka's group-stage campaign and the knockouts.
Other notable players that have found a place in Karnataka's squad are Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal and Shreyas Gopal. Coming into the tournament as defending champions, Karnataka will once again be among the favourites to lift the prestigious Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Karnataka has been placed in Group A in the domestic competition alongside Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Tripura, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. They will be playing all their group stage fixtures in Ahmedabad including the opener that will be against Jharkhand on December 24.
Karnataka's performance in other domestic tournaments
Meanwhile, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) didn't quite go as planned for Karnataka as they failed to qualify for the Super League stage after finishing fifth in Elite Group D behind the likes of Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, they have so far done brilliantly in the Ranji Trophy so far and are at the top of Elite Group B with 21 points from just five games. They will be hoping to maintain their form when the tournament resumes from January 22.
Karnataka's squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy: Mayank Agarawal (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair (vc), R. Smaran, KL Shrijith, Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal, V. Vyshak, Manvanth Kumar L, Shreesha S Achar, Abhilash Shetty, Sharath BR, Harshil Dharmani, Dhruv Prabhakar, KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna.