BENGALURU: In the 2025-26 season, Karnataka came ever so close before finishing as eventual runners-up to Jammu & Kashmir at Hubballi. Before getting into what Karnataka can hope to achieve this year, it's important to acknowledge that this is going to be a season of change for one of India's most storied cricket teams. Former captain R Vinay Kumar, who was the man at the helm the last time they won the whole thing in 2015, will take charge as coach. There is also a change of captaincy, albeit temporarily.
The promising R Smaran will take over as skipper because Devdutt Padikkal, the incumbent, will be busy with national commitments. This arrangement could see Smaran taking over for at least the group stages because Padikkal is likely to be wearing India whites during the New Zealand trip as well as when Australia come calling early next year.
However, even legislating for Padikkal's absence, Karnataka have a strong batting depth. With Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and KL Rahul — the latter, at least for the opener against Andhra in Vijayawada — as part of a top five, their batting unit ticks a lot of boxes. That's before adding Smaran, one of the most consistent batters in domestic cricket. With 950 runs in 14 innings last season, the 23-year-old was one of the side's shining lights. If he's amongst the runs again, expect them to go a long way.
But there are some issues in the bowling department. With M Venkatesh replacing Prasidh Krishna for the opener on Sunday, it remains to be seen how the bowling unit will shape up. With both V Vyshak and Vidwath Kaverappa also out, at least for the initial few games, what happens to their pace bowling department is anybody's guess. While both of them may yet play a part before the break for winter, the team will have to field a couple of inexperienced pacers because of the absences.
Shreyas Gopal's spin — he finished last season as the third-highest wicket-taker with 48 — will play a pivotal role, but apart from him, there are no proven wicket-takers in the side. It's the one big problem area in the side. Apart from Venkatesh, the team's two leading pacers are Abhilash Shetty and Manvanth Kumar. While Shetty has played five first-class games, Manvanth is yet to feature in a red-ball game for his state.
Last three seasons
2023-24: Quarterfinal
2024-25: Group stage
2025-26: Runners-up
Schedule
Oct 11: vs Andhra, Vijayawada
Oct 18: vs Saurashtra, Alur
Oct 26: vs Tripura, Mysuru
Nov 2: vs Assam, Guwahati
Jan 17: vs Chhattisgarh, Belagavi
Jan 24: vs Hyderabad, Secunderabad
Feb 1: vs Punjab, Shimoga
Squad: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karun Nair, R Smaran, Aneesh KV, Shreyas Gopal, Kruthik Krishna, Shikhar Shetty, Venkatesh M, Abhilash Shetty, Manvanth Kumar L, LR Kumar, Ritesh Bhatkal, KL Shrijith