As per sources, KL Rahul, the India cricketer, is all set to play in Karnataka’s next Ranji Trophy game against Haryana, starting on January 30, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. As per reports, the experienced cricketer missed Karnataka’s previous Ranji game versus Punjab due to a niggle.
The right-hand batter has played 31 first-class games for Karnataka, notching up 2974 runs at an impressive average of just over 57. His highest score of 337 came against Uttar Pradesh during the 2014-15 first-class season.
Rahul’s participation in India’s premier first-class competition comes on the back of BCCI making it mandatory for all contracted Indian players to play domestic cricket, unless there are issues related to fitness. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Prasidh Krishna played in the latest round of Ranji Trophy.
Karnataka, who won by a crushing margin of an innings and 207 runs versus Punjab, currently sit at the third spot in their group with 19 points. They have emerged victorious in two of their six games, with four of them ending in a stalemate. Haryana and Kerala occupy the top two positions in that group. Only two teams from each group will progress to the last-eight stage of the tournament. In that context, Rahul’s inclusion will further bolster Karnataka’s chances of making it to the next round.