The 2025/26 Ranji Trophy begins on October 15, and here are seven uncapped first-class players to watch out for.
Several players are yet to be picked by their respective states for the first few rounds of the Ranji Trophy, but with it being a long season, they’d be hopeful of getting a look-in.
Vedant Trivedi
Vedant Trivedi is a promising middle-order right-handed batter who began turning heads after his strong performance in the 2024-25 Cooch Behar Trophy for Gujarat U-19. In 13 innings, he scored 544 runs at 41.85 with three hundreds and a high score of 145. He was picked for India's Under-19 team to tour Australia and shone, ending as the highest run-scorer in both the ODI and Test series. Trivedi made 173 runs in the 50-over games, with two fifties, and scored a hundred in the Tests, ending with 198 runs at an average of 99.
Deepesh Devendran
Deepesh Devendran is a 17-year-old right-arm seamer from Tamil Nadu who has impressed with his pace and consistency for India U-19. Capable of touching speeds above 130 kmph, he relies on accuracy, bounce, and seam movement rather than just raw pace. After being part of the U-19 squad for the England tour, he made a strong statement on the 2025 tour of Australia, picking up 5 for 45 in the first Youth Test at Brisbane, becoming the first Indian since Narendra Hirwani in 1986 to get a five-wicket haul on the first day of an Under-19 Test against Australia. He finished with 10 wickets in the series. Earlier, he was also picked for the TNCA XI in the Buchi Babu Tournament.
Priyansh Arya
Priyansh Arya already had a breakout season in the IPL this year, when he struck a blistering hundred in 39 balls, the fourth-fastest in the tournament. With a T20 strike rate of 172.08, he is one of the most exciting young batters currently. Arya recently struck a hundred against Australia A in the first ODI, also the first of his 50-over professional career. Arya, who plays for Delhi, made an instant impact in his maiden Cooch Behar season, for the Under-19 players, in 2017/18. In eight innings, he scored 577 runs, with a high score of 271. However, he is yet to make his red-ball professional debut.
Vihaan Malhotra
Vihaan Malhotra has been one of Punjab’s most prolific age-group performers. He was the leading run-getter in the 2022–23 U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, with 978 runs in 15 innings at an average of 81.50, helping Punjab clinch the title. His form carried into the NCA Zonal tournament, where he scored 267 runs, earning selection to the India U-19 setup. In the 2023–24 Cooch Behar Trophy, he amassed 369 runs, alongside 298 in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. The vice-captain of the Under-19 team, Malhotra has played six Youth Tests, making 412 runs.
Abhigyan Kundu
Abhigyan Kundu, a left-handed wicketkeeper-batter from Mumbai, first rose to prominence in the 2022–23 Vijay Merchant Trophy, where he scored 690 runs in 10 innings at an exceptional average of 86 and a strike rate of 122. In the following Vinoo Mankad Trophy, he added 150 runs in six innings, followed by 182 runs in eight innings during the 2023–24 Cooch Behar Trophy. His most impressive showing came in the 2024 NCA U-19 One-Day tournament, where he struck 263 runs in five innings at 65.75, including an unbeaten 87 off 85 balls. Compact and aggressive, Kundu’s strokeplay and sharp glovework further got him noticed during the recent Tests against England, where he scored 166 runs in four innings, including a 95-ball 90 in the first Youth Test.
Nikhil Kumar
Chandigarh’s Nikhil Kumar is emerging as one of the most complete young all-rounders on the age-group domestic circuit. A lively seamer who can contribute crucial runs down the order, he impressed in the 2023–24 Cooch Behar Trophy with 19 wickets in five matches at 13.5, while also making 273 runs in seven innings at 45. He scored twin fifties in the Tests against Australia last year, including top-scoring with 55* in the nervy run chase in the second game.
Khilan Patel
A promising all-rounder from Gujarat, Khilan Patel, finished the two Tests against Australia Under-19 with eight wickets at 15.12, picking up four wickets each in both games. The left-arm spinner, Khilan, was the star in this year’s Cooch Behar Trophy, with 437 runs in 11 innings, along with a high score of 110. He was also the second-highest wicket-taker, with 45 scalps, including five five-fors. He made his Under-19 debut during the ODI series against Australia, where he finished with five wickets, including a match-winning 4-26 in the third game.
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