Lanky fast-bowler Pankaj Singh will lead the Rajasthan side in the upcoming Ranji season while Dishank Yagnik will assist the senior player.
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Comeback man Robin Bisht has also been named in the side. He shifted his base to Himachal Pradesh a couple of years back, but decided to switch back to his native state. The Pankaj Singh-led side includes players youngsters like Khaleel Ahmed and Mahipal Lomror as well. Both have been part of Delhi Daredevils in the past after their stint with India U-19 team.
Ashok Maneria, the former U-19 skipper and Rajasthan Royals player, has been included. Aniket Choudhary was an automatic selection in the team, considering his recent form and there can be a case when he might miss a couple of games for his side if selected in India A team for the One-Day series against New Zealand A.
This year, Rajasthan will miss out on the services of young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, the brother of Deepak Chahar, who has switched his base to Services now. The leggie was a teammate of Khaleel Ahmed and Mahipal Lomror in India U-19 side that ended up as runner-up in junior World Cup 2016.
Rajasthan, which last won Ranji Trophy back to back in 2010/11 and 2011/12 season, will face Jammu and Kashmir in their first game. J & K is yet to announce the squad, but we presume Parvez Rasool will again lead the side.
Squad: Pankaj Singh (Captain), Dishant Yagnik (VC), Khaleel Ahmed, Rajesh Bishnoi, Robin Bist, Deepak Chahar, Aniket Choudhary, Siddharth Dobal, Amitkumar Gautam, Arjit Gupta, Mahipal Lomror, Ashok Menaria, Tajinder Singh, Tm UL-Haq
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