Uttar Pradesh has unveiled its squad for the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, with young wicketkeeper and batter Aryan Juyal taking the helm as captain. The team is set to kick off its campaign against Bengal on October 11 at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Squad Composition

The selection committee has meticulously handpicked a formidable contingent of 22 players, including six standby players. Notable absences include Rinku Singh, who is currently representing Team India and will miss the first round of matches.

Prominent Players

Key figures in the squad include:

Yash Dayal
Akshdeep Nath
Swastik Chikara
Priyam Garg
Nitish Rana

Additionally, two new players, Vipraj Nigam and Kritagya Singh, have been included, showcasing the team’s commitment to nurturing local talent.

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Notable Absences

The squad will notably lack the experience of:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: His exclusion suggests a shift in focus towards white-ball cricket as he transitions away from red-ball formats.

Kuldeep Yadav and Dhruv Jurel: Both players are set to join the Indian Test team for a series against New Zealand later this month.

Interestingly, right-handed batter Sameer Rizvi, who clubbed 468 runs in 13 matches last season has also not made the final cut.

Complete Squad

The Uttar Pradesh squad for the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 is as follows:

Aryan Juyal (c, wk), Swastik Chikara, Priyam Garg, Akshdeep Nath, Nitish Rana, Saurabh Kumar, Ankit Rajpoot, Aaqib Khan, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Dayal, Shivam Sharma, Siddhartha Yadav, Madhav Kaushik, Vijay Kumar, Aaditya Sharma (Wk), Kritagya Singh; Standby: Atal Bihari Rai, Prince Yadav, Abhishek Goswami, Vineet Panwar, Vaibhav Chaudhary, Kartikey Jaiswal

As the team gears up for its first match against Bengal, expectations are high for a strong performance under Juyal’s leadership. The combination of experienced players and fresh talent could prove pivotal as Uttar Pradesh aims to make a significant impact in this season’s Ranji Trophy.

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