Hello Yellow Army!
Day 1 of Round 2 of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 is done, and honestly it was a mixed bag for our boys. One player had a brilliant day, two others had a tough one, and a few are still waiting for their turn. If you missed it, here is our Round 1 wrap up and the original preview with all the groups. So let's see how they started another round.
Quick note before we begin: this covers the three players who got to bat or bowl on day 1. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Kartik Sharma, Urvil Patel and Sarfaraz Khan were in their teams but haven't had a chance to bat or bowl yet. I will add them on the Super Kings Player Tracker as soon as they do.
At a glance
| Player | Match | Day 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Gurjapneet Singh | Tamil Nadu vs Uttarakhand | 4/34 in 13 overs |
| Shreyas Gopal | Karnataka vs Saurashtra | 3, Karnataka 187/7 when he was out |
| Aman Hakim Khan | Puducherry vs Madhya Pradesh | 6 (10), stumped |
Gurjapneet Singh: 4/34 and what a start
Let's begin with the good news, because what a start for Gurjapneet singh in Ranji Trophy. He missed Round 1 as he was with India A, where he also took 3/56 against Australia A and helped India win that match. Continuing the same, he delivered for Tamil Nadu as well.
In the first session alone he took 3 wickets for 19 runs in 7 overs and ripped through the top order. He ended with 4 wickets for 34 runs in 13 overs as Uttarakhand were bowled out for just 134. What a way to open his Ranji account! Spells like this are exactly what he needs to stay in the race with Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary and Anshul Kamboj for a place in CSK's playing XI, so let's hope he keeps it going.
Shreyas Gopal: out for 3 as Karnataka struggle
Not the day Gopal would have wanted in his first match as captain against Saurashtra. He was back after missing the opener with dehydration, but he couldn't do much with the bat and was out for only 3. His wicket left Karnataka struggling at 187/7. Hopefully he gets to make up for it with the ball and in the second innings.
Aman Hakim Khan: stumped for 6, no start again
Bad luck continues for Aman khan in Ranji Trophy. After 1 and 4 against Vidarbha in Round 1, he was stumped by Harsh Gawali off Saransh Jain for 6 off 10 balls, leaving Puducherry in trouble at 106/5. He just can't get that start, which he needs to change his confidence and get going.
Who else was in the team
- Ruturaj Gaikwad is yet to bat. As I told you earlier, he missed Round 1 because he was on India A duty, and he is back in Maharashtra's team for the match against Jharkhand. Jharkhand were bowled out for 169, and Maharashtra were 85/3 in 26 overs at stumps on day 1, trailing by 84 runs. Gaikwad is yet to come in, so let's wait for his turn on day 2.
- Kartik Sharma is captaining Rajasthan against Railways and is yet to bat. Rain shortened the game and play ended early on day 1, with Rajasthan on 247/2 in 70.4 overs. Kartik is still waiting for his turn, and we will see how he does after his 42 in the drawn Round 1 game.
- Sarfaraz Khan is also yet to bat for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh were bowled out for 140, and Mumbai were 107/2 in 36 overs at stumps on day 1, trailing by 33 runs. After his 1 off 6 in Round 1, he will be looking for a much better game when he walks in on day 2.
- Kuldip Yadav is playing for Mizoram against Nagaland in the Plate Group, a player I had missed in my earlier reports. Mizoram have since declared on 581/9, with Chinmay Sutar unbeaten on 400, and Kuldip contributed 5 runs. You can see all his games in the tracker entry for this match and his Round 1 wrap up.
- Urvil Patel is yet to bat for Gujarat against Delhi. Delhi batted first and were 381/4 in 84 overs at stumps on day 1, so Gujarat spent the whole day in the field and Urvil will have to wait for his turn. He will want to carry on from his 85 off 67 in Round 1.
Who is out
- Ayush Mhatre is out. As I reported on day 3 of Round 1, he has been diagnosed with a Grade 4 tear on his right hamstring and will be out for four to six weeks, which means he will miss at least the next three games for Mumbai. It is the same hamstring problem he picked up during the IPL, and he felt discomfort again after scoring 48 on day 1 against Chandigarh. A big blow for Mumbai, and for us too. Get well soon, Ayush!
- Mukesh Choudhary is not in Maharashtra's XI against Jharkhand. As we know, he has been named in the India A squad for the New Zealand tour, so he has left Maharashtra to join the team after helping them win by 127 runs against Services in Round 1.
- Anshul Kamboj is not in Haryana's playing XI, even after his 6 wickets in Round 1. He is in India's Test squad and the squad for the first three ODIs for the New Zealand tour, so he may be getting a rest before that, but Haryana have not said anything about why.
- Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube are not in their teams as they are with the Indian T20I squad for the New Zealand tour, where the five T20Is start on 22 October.
- Ramakrishna Ghosh is still not in Maharashtra's team, though the good news is that he was already practising his bowling at the MCA after his foot fracture.
- Rahul Chahar and Prashant Veer were also not in their teams' XIs.
I will keep adding every update on the Super Kings Player Tracker, so keep an eye on it, and I will be back with the day 2 article tomorrow.
Until Happy Sunday. Stay healthy stay yellow.