Ravindra Jadeja among India stars to watch in 2025/26 Ranji Trophy second round

New Delhi: With the second round of the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy set to commence on Saturday, left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is set to play for Saurashtra in their Elite Group B game at Rajkot, meaning he will be among the Indian team stars that fans can keep their eyes on for the next few days.

In the previous match at the venue, spinners accounted for 31 of the 35 wickets to fall in the drawn encounter at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, where Saurashtra earned three points courtesy of a first-innings lead. Jadeja was resting after playing in India’s 2-0 home Test series win over the West Indies earlier this month and was not included in the squad for the ongoing ODI series in Australia.

At Saurashtra, he will rejoin fellow left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, who took a match haul of 10-203 against Karnataka. Jadeja’s return is expected to enhance the bowling attack with more depth and experience as Saurashtra aim to build on their early momentum.

Another major clash in the second round will see Bengal facing Gujarat at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, and Abhimanyu Easwaran will be in action.

Shami, the veteran India pacer, had taken a match-winning seven-wicket haul in the win over Uttarakhand, and how he fares against a strong Gujarat bowling line-up will make for an interesting watch.

The second round of the Ranji Trophy will feature 19 matches played across the country, in both Elite and Plate Divisions. Mumbai, fresh from an away victory against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar, will host Chhattisgarh in an Elite Group D match at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC in Mumbai. Defending champions Vidarbha are set to face Jharkhand at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur.

The Bengal-Gujarat clash will be broadcast on Star Sports Khel (TV) and JioHotstar (live streaming). The Saurashtra vs Madhya Pradesh game and Mumbai vs Chhattisgarh clash are also available for live streaming, with the rest of the games to be followed live on bcci.tv scoreboards page. IANS

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