Punjab’s batting reinforcements will be the headline acts as it hopes to secure a victory against Chhattisgarh in the second round of Ranji Trophy 2026-27, starting Sunday, at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.
India captain Shubman Gill was the lone Test regular to opt out of the opening round but returns for the second fixture, hoping to hit his strides before departing for New Zealand. Prabhsimran Singh is through with his international commitment and adds to Punjab’s batting riches.
Gill must be surfing the high of scoring the fastest double century in ODIs, but will have his task cut on his Ranji return. He managed 0 & 14 the last time he turned up for the State, and averages 30 since BCCI mandated Test regulars to feature in domestic First-Class games.
Cherished as their presence might be, Punjab’s batting will hardly be at the mercy of their runs.
A young batting core rose to the occasion against Assam with Vihaan Malhotra, Emanjot Singh Chahal, and Salil Arora all slamming centuries and securing a first-innings lead.
READ | Level-headed Vihaan Malhotra happy to live his dream after debut century
Punjab needed till lunch on the final day to restore parity in that contest, and it might not have been the case had Uday Saharan converted his start. The 22-year-old will want to find a big innings, especially with the team management backing him to continue as captain despite Gill’s addition.
The concerns over Punjab’s hastily put together bowling were dispelled by its late attempt to snatch a victory, where it picked six wickets in two sessions on a flat wicket.
Umesh Yadav had enough steam to deliver 24 overs in the first innings, and did not shy away from lengthy spells that stretched up to seven overs. Gurnoor Brar shared a similar workload and its left-arm unorthodox pair Emanjot and Harpreet Brar ideally complemented each other with their respective flight and pace.
Punjab will recognise the chance to assert itself on Chhattisgarh, which could gather just one point from its opening game against Saurashtra.
It was a top-order misfire that prevented Chhattisgarh from overhauling a first-innings total of 392. Captain Anuj Tiwary and the middle-order put up a fight, but Chhattisgarh will have more to show for if Amandeep Khare and Ayush Pandey, recently returned from an India-A outing, deliver.
Chattisgarh is yet to find its feet under the newly-appointed coach Amay Khurasiya but must have taken morale from pacer Dev Aditya Singh’s six-wicket haul and its middle order’s batting resistance.
Its new imports Sandeep Warrier and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja are yet to grab hold of proceedings, although the latter granted cricket fans a keepsake by nabbing his namesake, Ravindra Jadeja.
Jadeja would hope the pitch breaks down faster in the prevailing sultry conditions, unlike the previous game, and expect another import to find a place in the XI, off-spinner Jayant Yadav.
Published on Oct 17, 2026
