Punjab begin Ranji Trophy campaign against Assam in New Chandigarh
New coach Amit Uniyal and captain Uday Saharan lead a young Punjab side into the Ranji Trophy opener.
Punjab begin their Ranji Trophy 2026-27 campaign against Assam at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday. The match comes in a group that also includes Karnataka, Saurashtra and Andhra, making Assam the most accessible opponent for a revamped Punjab side. Assam collected just three points last season and narrowly avoided relegation to the Plate division.
Punjab have appointed Amit Uniyal as head coach and handed the captaincy to 22-year-old Uday Saharan for the full season. International commitments keep Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir out of the first two rounds, giving Harnoor Singh Pannu another opportunity to stake his claim after scoring 170 on debut last season. Emanjot Singh Chahal has been promoted from the Under-23 side after taking 10 wickets for Rest of India against Tamil Nadu Under-23 last week.
Umesh Yadav makes his debut for Punjab after switching states, joining Gurnoor Brar in a pace attack that should benefit from conditions that favoured seamers at the venue last season. Assam retain their top four run-getters from last season but will be without left-arm spinner Rahul Singh, their leading wicket-taker.
CricHubb Take
The absence of two frontline IPL players for the opening rounds gives Punjab a clean window to test whether their new batting core can carry the load without relying on white-ball specialists.