Saralnama
Senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara has confirmed his participation in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season starting in October 2025, marking his return to competitive cricket since February 2025. The Saurashtra Cricket Association acknowledged Pujara's intention to play, highlighting the value of his experience. This announcement followed Ajinkya Rahane stepping down as Mumbai's captain while committing to continue playing domestic cricket. Both Pujara and Rahane have been out of the Indian Test team since mid-2023, with team management focusing on younger players. Pujara last played for India in June 2023 and has expressed his ongoing ambition to represent the national side again. He did not play in the 2025 County Championship but worked as a commentator during India's England tour. In the previous Ranji season, Pujara scored 402 runs in seven matches, and he has a total of 7,195 runs in 103 Test matches for India. The Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season is scheduled to begin on October 15, 2025, with knockout stages in February 2026. (Updated 21 Aug 2025, 18:33 IST; source: link)