Bengaluru, Dec 17 (IANS) The Indian duo of wicketkeeper-batter K.L. Rahul and fast-bowler Prasidh Krishna have been named in Karnataka’s squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. Defending champions Karnataka will play its Group ‘A’ fixtures in Ahmedabad, starting on December 24.
The addition of Rahul, who recently captained India in the ODI leg of the South Africa tour, where they won 2-1, and Prasidh adds further experience to the side led by Mayank Agarwal. Karun Nair has been appointed as the vice-captain following his strong performances in the Ranji Trophy.
Pacers Vidwath Kaverappa and Vidyadhar Patel, though not listed in the main squad, will travel with the team to Ahmedabad and remain available for match duty. Young batters Harshil Dharmani and Dhruv Prabhakar, who also bowls handy off-spin, have earned call-ups after impressive outings in the U23 50-over competition last month.
Left-arm spinner Shreesha Achar has been included as the squad’s lone specialist slow bowler. Yere Goud will be the head coach, while Mansur Ali Khan and Shabarish Mohan will serve as bowling and fielding coaches, respectively. Karnataka’s Group A opponents include Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Pondicherry, Kerala, and Tripura.
With a three-week gap between India’s final T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad on December 19 and the opening ODI against New Zealand on January 11, 2026, in Vadodara, this window will be utilised by all India players, barring Shreyas Iyer, who’s recovering from a spleen injury sustained in October, to play in the 50-over domestic competition for their respective states. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have already been included in Delhi’s probables list.
Karnataka squad: Mayank Agarwal (captain), Karun Nair (vice-captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, KL Shrijith, Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal, V. Vyshak, Manvanth Kumar, Shreesha Achar, Abhilash Shetty, B.R. Sharath, Harshil Dharmani, Dhruv Prabhakar, KL Rahul, and Prasidh Krishna.
--IANS
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