SAU vs KNTKA Preview | Saurashtra eye winning start to their Ranji Trophy 2025-26 campaign, set to face Karnataka

Umesh Sharma

Last edition’s Quarter-Finalists Saurashtra will take on Karnataka in their campaign opener of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26, at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Saurashtra will aim to continue their winning run against Karnataka in their head-to-head battle in the Ranji Trophy.

Saurashtra Skipper Jaydev Unadkat

Saurashtra had a good Ranji Trophy season last season as they qualified for the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. They lost to Gujarat by an innings and 98 runs in the fourth quarter-final, which knocked them out of the tournament. Before that, they registered three successive wins in the league stage, after a drawn game against Jharkhand. So, they will look forward to improving their journey this season compared to the previous one.

On the contrary, Karnataka were eliminated from the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 in the league stage. In their last five FC games, they have played three drawn games, while winning only two games against Bihar and Punjab. Mayank Agarwal’s men will target to start their campaign on a winning note with a success against Saurashtra in their campaign opener.

Form Guide

Saurashtra: D W W W L

Karnataka: W D D W D

SAU vs KNTKA Head-to-Head in FC Games

In the last five head-to-head clashes between Saurashtra and Karnataka, the former have dominated this rivalry one-sidedly. Saurashtra have won four games, while one game ended in a draw. So, they will aim to continue their dominance with a win in this game. On the other hand, Karnataka will look forward to registering a win against Saurashtra after a long time to start their Ranji Trophy 2025-26 campaign on a winning note.

Pitch and Weather

The surface at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot has a true bounce and even pace to offer early in the initial phase of the game, which makes it an ideal track for the batters. So, batting first will be a wise move after winning the toss.

It will be a bright and sunny day in Rajkot on Wednesday, with the temperatures hovering around 36 degrees Celsius. There will be no rain threat throughout the entire game on the four days of the game.

Team News

It will be the first game for both teams in the tournament’s current edition, as they are starting their respective campaigns. So, both Saurashtra and Karnataka will aim to put in their best foot forward by picking a perfect playing XI in this game to start the campaign on a winning note.

Saurashtra Probable XI: Parth Bhut, Harvik Desai (WK), Jay Gohil, Sammar Gajjar, Ansh Gosai, Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Chetan Sakariya, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, and Jaydev Unadkat (C).

Karnataka Probable XI: KV Aneesh, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Smaran, Mayank Agarwal (C), Krishnan Shrijith (WK), Nikin Jose, Abhinav Manohar, Abhilash Shetty, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vidwath Kaverappa, and Mohsin Khan.  

Broadcasting Platforms

The Elite Group B match of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26, between Saurashtra and Karnataka, will be digitally streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website. For TV viewers, it will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network. 

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