Ranji Trophy 2017-18: Karnataka to kickstart its campaign from Mysuru

Mysuru: After successfully hosting the Karnataka Premier League last month, Mysuru is all geared up to host the all important Ranji Trophy match between hosts Karnataka and Assam from Oct. 14 to 17 at the SDNR Wadiyar Stadium in Manasagangothri. This is Karnataka's first Ranji Trophy match of the season. R. Vinay Kumar will lead Karnataka’s team, which is likely to miss the services of services of K.L. Rahul and Manish Pandey for larger parts of the season owing to their Team India commitments. The eight-time champions will look to repeat the 2013-14 and 2014-15 season’s performance during which Karnataka had emerged Ranji Champions and had also won the Irani Trohpy. Pawan Deshpande and Kaunain Abbas did well last season. Abhishek Reddy, who is making a comeback after an injury layoff, is in good form. Mayank Agarwal and R. Samarth should give the team a good start. Much depends on Stuart Binny, C.K. Gautham, K. Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal and their contributions will be vital for the team's good show this season. Aravind, skipper R. Vinaykumar and A. Mithun will be the mainstay in the fast bowling front. Sharath Srinivas (a wicket-keeper batsman) has also been named in the squad. Last season Karnataka lost to Tamil Nadu in the quarter-finals and this year will aim to improve their record. The Squad: R. Vinay Kumar (Captain), R. Samarth, Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Reddy, Mir Kaunain Abbas, Pavan Deshpande, C.M. Gautham, Stuart Binny, K. Gowtham, A. Mithun, S. Aravind, Shreyas Gopal, J. Suchith, D. Nischal, Sharath Srinivas and Ronit More.  Coach: P.V. Shashikanth, Assistant Coach: G.K. Anil Kumar.