Priyansh Arya Bags Maiden Call-Up, Nitish Rana Returns As Delhi Unveils 24-Member Strong Unit For Ranji Trophy Opener Clash

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has unveiled its record-setting 24-member squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season opener clash.

Notable additions have been made for their match, with Ayush Badoni leading the charge. Yash Dhull has been named as his deputy in the competition.

The Delhi Ranji team features notable additions, as Priyansh Arya and Nitish Rana have been named in the squad.

Delhi Cricket Announces 24-Member Squad With Ayush Badoni As Captain, Dhull As Deputy

The DDCA has unveiled a 24-member squad, marking a notable comeback for Nitish Rana, who returns after a brief stint with Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. He would join Delhi Cricket for red-ball action.

Rana had earlier participated in the Delhi Premier League, scoring an impressive 393 in 11 matches. He led the East Delhi Riders towards a title win in the tournament.

Another notable introduction is Priyansh Arya, who has been named in Delhi's red-ball domestic competitions for the first time.

He had a breakout IPL season in 2025 by scoring 475 runs, the most by an uncapped Indian player in his debut season.

Also Read: Bengal Bolster Bowling Attack By Adding Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar For Ranji Trophy 2025-2026 Opener

Delhi squad for the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Season: Ayush Badoni (captain), Yash Dhull (vice-captain), Arpit Rana, Sanat Sangwan, Anuj Rawat (wk), Sumit Mathur, Shivam Sharma, Rounak Waghela, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, Money Grewal, Siddhant Sharma, Dhruv Kaushik, Pranav Rajvanshi (wk), Nitish Rana, Himmat Singh, Ayush Doseja, Rahul Dagar, Hrithik Shokeen, Priyansh Arya, Tejasvi (wk), Vaibhav Kandpal, Rohan Rana, Aryan Rana (subject to fitness).

Major Update On Nitish Rana & Rishabh Pant Surfaces

The return of Nitish Rana to Delhi Cricket in the Ranji Trophy would be a significant moment as the team would be banking on his experience as a player. Rana shone in the white-ball competitions, and he is expected to perform in red-ball as well.

However, a DDCA official has revealed that Rana has been drafted into the player pool despite being unfit for red-ball assignments.

"Nitish Rana isn't even fully fit for red-ball engagements and yet he has been drafted in," said the official, as quoted by PTI.

Also Read: Yashasvi Jaiswal Becomes 2nd Indian After Sachin Tendulkar To Reach Landmark Accomplishment During Delhi Test

In a positive note, DDCA Secretary Ashok Sharma has hinted at Rishabh Pant's comeback, saying that they are expecting the India wicketkeeper-batter to play in Delhi's next Ranji encounter.

"In fact, in the next game, we are expecting Rishabh Pant to play," the DDCA Secretary said.

Delhi Cricket will face Hyderabad in their season opener clash, starting October 15. The Group D match will take place in Hyderabad.