Hello Yellow Army!
In case you missed watching our CSK boys in action for a few days, don't you worry, because Round 3 of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 has begun this week to keep you hooked again! If you missed it, here is our Round 2 wrap up.
Yet another round, and this time we got what I was hoping for in Round 2, not exactly the big hundred, but a satisfying captain's innings from Kartik Sharma. Our bowlers have also kept producing good spells since Round 1, and that continued today, even though a few of our boys had a tough day. So let's see how they started this new round, one by one.
At a glance
| Player | Match | Day 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Kartik Sharma | Rajasthan vs Uttarakhand | 73, Rajasthan all out for 272 |
| Gurjapneet Singh | Tamil Nadu vs Railways | 1/27 in 12 overs, Railways all out for 184 |
| Shreyas Gopal | Karnataka vs Tripura | 1/34 in 18 overs, Tripura all out for 194 |
| Sarfaraz Khan | Mumbai vs Haryana | 21*, Mumbai 290/3 |
| Urvil Patel | Gujarat vs Maharashtra | 13, Gujarat all out for 223 |
| Kuldip Yadav | Mizoram vs Meghalaya | 1/50 in 15 overs, Meghalaya 385/2 |
| Aman Khan | Puducherry vs Uttar Pradesh | Rain and bad light, Uttar Pradesh 67/4 in 37 overs |
Kartik Sharma: finally, a big one!
Come on, this is what I was asking for! After a tough first innings of 4 against Railways in Round 2, Kartik showed up today with a lovely 73 against Uttarakhand. He came in when Rajasthan were in trouble at 72/3, held one end at lunch on 11*, and then put on a massive 122-run partnership with Rathore after lunch.
Sadly, both of them were out before tea, and Rajasthan slipped to 205/6 and were finally bowled out for 272. It is his first first-class half century, since he already has 3 centuries to his name, so he usually converts his fifties into hundreds. Just a little unlucky not to make it big, but a good progress from our captain! Uttarakhand ended the day on 18/0 in 5 overs, trailing by 254 runs.
Gurjapneet Singh: tight again
Ever since he was picked for India A, Gurjapneet has kept producing good spells and justifying his selection! The numbers may not look outstanding on paper, but they are more than good enough to keep his team ahead of the opponents.
After his 4/34 in Round 2, he was tight right from the first session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, in another home round for Tamil Nadu, with 1/16 in 9 overs including 3 maidens. He finished with 1/27 in 12 overs as Railways were bundled out for 184.
Tamil Nadu then batted and ended day 1 on 71/3 in 25 overs, still trailing by 113 runs. So it is a game that is still in the balance, and mind you that Gurjapneet can bat as well so let's see what he does tomorrow.
Shreyas Gopal: the pressure builder
Captain Gopal bowled a long spell of 18 overs to keep the batters under pressure, giving away just 34 runs and taking 1 wicket against Tripura. And that is exactly what a captain should do, because while he kept it tight from one end, his co-bowlers kept taking wickets from the other end.
Tripura were reeling at 167/6 at tea and were bowled out for 194. Karnataka then ended day 1 on 10/1 in 6 overs, trailing by 184 runs, so they will be looking for a big first innings tomorrow. After his 1/42 in Round 2, it is another good day with the ball for him, as long as the team stays in control.
I also hope tomorrow he opens his batting account in the Ranji like last season, as currently he has not been able to contribute much with the bat.
Sarfaraz Khan: another good start
Our Round 2 hero is back, and he is already looking good! After his 154 and Player of the Match award last time, he is unbeaten on 21 in the third session, as Mumbai are on 290/3 in 82 overs against Haryana. Interestingly, he is facing a Haryana team without our other CSK man Anshul Kamboj, who plays for them but is busy with India A in New Zealand.
The solid base was already set up by two centuries, from Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who has come in as Ayush Mhatre's replacement, and Sarfaraz's brother Musheer Khan. Sarfaraz is there to carry on tomorrow, and I can't wait to see what he does with this base. And honestly, I won't be surprised if he turns it into a big hundred!
Urvil Patel: back-to-back poor innings
Not again, Urvil! That is back-to-back poor innings, and that too when the team needed him the most. He came in at 96/3 for Gujarat and was on 9* at lunch, but could add only a little before getting out for 13, leaving Gujarat at 115/4. Jaymeet helped Gujarat cross 200, and they were on 205/5 at tea, but they were bowled out for 223.
Maharashtra ended the day on 24/1 in 12 overs, trailing by 199 runs. After his 23 against Delhi in Round 2, we are still waiting for the Urvil of Round 1, who smashed 85 off 67 balls with 4 fours and 7 sixes.
Kuldip Yadav: a long day of toil
After his huge workload of 36 overs against Nagaland in the last match, this is another day of grind for him. He finished with 1/50 in 15 overs as Meghalaya ended day 1 on 385/2 in 89 overs. Mizoram tried 9 bowlers, but Ajay Duhan (167 not out) and captain Kishan Lyngdoh (144 not out) were still going strong with an unbroken 308-run partnership.
Aman Khan: rain and bad light spoil the day
Not much to talk about for Aman, because the weather did not allow it. Rain delayed the start of Puducherry's home match against Uttar Pradesh in Puducherry, and then bad light stopped play early too. Uttar Pradesh were 67/4 in 37 overs when the day ended.
With Uttar Pradesh batting, Aman has not got a chance with the bat yet. After a tough Round 2, which was also ended by rain, I hope the weather is kinder tomorrow and he gets his big innings soon!
Who is out
- Ayush Mhatre is out with a Grade 4 hamstring tear, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi is playing as his replacement for Mumbai.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad is not playing for Maharashtra this round. After his century in Round 2, he is most probably missing this round because of the ODI series in New Zealand, as he has been named in both ODI squads, and the five ODIs run from 4 to 15 November.
- Mukesh Choudhary and Anshul Kamboj are with India A in New Zealand, where the 1st unofficial Test is going on.
- Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube are with the Indian T20I squad for the New Zealand tour.
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.
Stay healthy stay yellow.