Karnataka faces a stern test against Madhya Pradesh

As the Ranji Trophy gets stronger by the year with the presence of a number of good teams, Mayank Agarwal & Co. have their task cut out

Nothing highlights the democratisation of cricketing excellence in India quite like the Ranji Trophy winners’ list of the past eight seasons.

In the time since Karnataka won the last of its eight titles in 2014-15, Saurashtra and Vidarbha have won the crown twice each, Gujarat once and Madhya Pradesh once. Powerhouse Mumbai bagged the remaining two but had to wait for six years after the 2015-16 triumph.

Karnataka has seen this deepening imprint from close quarters, for it has lost two times each to Vidarbha and Saurashtra in the knockouts recently. That should make it clear the magnitude of the test that awaits Mayank Agarwal & Co. when they take on Madhya Pradesh in their 2024-25 Elite Group-C opener at the Holkar Stadium here from Friday.

Madhya Pradesh was champion in 2021-22 and a semifinalist in the two subsequent seasons. Coached by the astute Chandrakant Pandit, it has among its ranks Rajat Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan and off-break bowler Saransh Jain, making it a formidable line-up.

Karnataka, in contrast, is in a state of flux. While Mayank, Manish Pandey and Devdutt Padikkal form a solid batting trio, Padikkal, who made his Test debut earlier this year, is expected to be in and out of the squad with India-A set to tour Australia ahead of the senior team’s sojourn in late November.

Nikin Jose, after a stellar debut season in 2022-23, endured a slump last season. Teenaged all-rounder Hardik Raj and newbie R. Smaran will take forward Karnataka’s attempts at ushering in the next generation.

The transition is especially pronounced in the K. Gowtham-less spin bowling department. But the return of leggie Shreyas Gopal — a capable batter as well — after a year in Kerala, will help, especially in nurturing 21-year-old off-spinner Mohsin Khan.