Ranji Trophy 2024/25: Delhi hopes to put inconsistency behind as it begins new campaign against Chhattisgarh

Himmat Singh, who took over the captaincy from Yash Dhull midway through last season, will continue to lead Delhi, which would want to put an end to the constant discussions about its ever-changing squad.

FILE PHOTO: Navdeep Saini, coming off an impressive Duleep Trophy performance where he finished as the third-highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps, will spearhead the pace attack for Delhi in the upcoming 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. | Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B/The Hindu

With an aim to shift focus away from constant discussions about its ever-changing squad, Delhi enters a fresh Ranji Trophy season under new head coach Sarandeep Singh. The team will kick off its campaign against Chhattisgarh in a Group D clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, starting on Friday.

Both sides, having missed out on knockout qualification last season, now face an even tougher challenge in a group that includes heavyweights like Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu, alongside strong opponents such as Jharkhand and Railways.

Himmat Singh, who took over the captaincy from Yash Dhull midway through last season, will continue to lead Delhi, which has undergone a bowling overhaul. Navdeep Saini, coming off an impressive Duleep Trophy performance where he finished as the third-highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps, will spearhead the pace attack.

Saini, the most experienced player in the squad, will be supported by young quicks Himanshu Chauhan, Money Grewal, and Divij Mehra, forming a fledgling yet exciting pace unit, even in the absence of express pacers Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana. Mehra is set to join the squad for the first round, replacing the injured Simarjeet Singh.

Right-arm off-break bowler Hrithik Shokeen will lead the spin department, with support from Sanat Sangwan and Shivank Vashisth.

On the batting front, Delhi will rely on IPL regulars Anuj Rawat and Ayush Badoni, while the return of Dhull, following heart surgery, adds further strength to the line-up. The addition of new openers — Sanat Sangwan and Dhruv Kaushik — aims to address a long-standing concern for the team at the top of the order.

With Sarandeep replacing Devang Gandhi as head coach, Delhi, a seven-time Ranji Trophy champion, will be eager to end its title drought, having last lifted the trophy in the 2007-08 season.

Chhattisgarh, which managed to hold strong teams like Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, and Kerala to draws last season, will aim to build on that momentum. Captain Amandeep Khare, who scored 502 runs in seven matches, will once again be the vital cog for the team.

He will be supported by professionals Bhupen Lalwani and Eknath Kelkar, while Sanjeet Singh and Ashutosh Desai bring their experience as reliable run-scorers.

In the bowling department, right-arm medium pacer M. Ravi Kiran, who moved from Hyderabad, stands out. However, bowling remains a vulnerable area for the team overall. The silver lining last season for the side was Ravi who picked up 25 wickets in 13 innings.

Chhattisgarh’s defensive approach has produced mixed results at home, with the last season yielding two draws, one win, and a defeat. Nonetheless, the team will be confident in its ability to kick off its Ranji campaign with a victory against an unpredictable opponent.