Veteran left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been included in Saurashtra’s 16-member squad for their Ranji Trophy 2026/27 opener against Chhattisgarh, with veteran fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat continuing to lead the side.
Playing in the Ranji Trophy will help Jadeja build red-ball rhythm ahead of India’s two-match Test tour of New Zealand, to be played in Wellington (November 19-23) and Christchurch (November 27 to December 1). The 92nd edition of the prestigious red-ball tournament begins on October 11, with former champions Saurashtra placed in Elite Group B alongside Andhra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Punjab, and Tripura. Saurashtra, who won the premier domestic title twice under Unadkat’s leadership in 2019/20 and 2022/23, have retained as many as 14 players from last season’s squad.
Unadkat-led Saurashtra will kick off their campaign against Chhattisgarh at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.
Unadkat will spearhead the pace department alongside left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya, though experienced left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja has moved out of the team and will now represent Chhattisgarh. This means a lot of spin bowling responsibilities rest on Parth Bhut in the season. Saurashtra squad: Jaydev Unadkat (captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Harvik Desai (wk), Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Prerak Mankad, Jay Gohil, Chetan Sakariya, Ankur Panwar, Sammar Gajjar, Parth Bhut, Vishvarajsinh Jadeja, Hetvik Kotak, Neel Pandya, and Arth Yadav, Tarang Gohel.
