New-look Punjab begins Ranji campaign against Assam
Punjab begins its Ranji Trophy season against Assam with a young batting core and Uday Saharan continuing as captain.
Punjab open their Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season against Assam at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday. Uday Saharan stays on as captain after taking over midway through last season. International duties keep Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir out for the first two rounds, so Harnoor Singh Pannu gets another chance to stake his claim.
Vihaan Malhotra could make his first-class debut after turning heads at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year. Emanjot Singh Chahal, who was the Under-23 captain last season, joins the senior side after taking a 10-for for Rest of India against Tamil Nadu U-23 last week. IPL stars Ramandeep Singh and Salil Arora have retained their spots in the revamped batting core.
Assam stick with their experienced top order of Sibsankar Das, Swarupam Purkayastha, Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Denish Das. Pacer Mukhtar Hussain shoulders extra load after Rahul Singh, last season's leading wicket-taker, was ruled out. In the two games played at the venue last year, pacers returned better yields than spinners.
CricHubb Take
The absence of two India-contracted batters gives Punjab's next generation an unusually long run in the middle order; how they perform in the first two rounds may shape the state's Ranji plans for the rest of the season.