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Ramandeep To Lead Punjab In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Rajput To Join After U19 Asia Cup

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Seam-bowling all-rounder Ramandeep Singh will captain Punjab in the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while young Arjun Rajput, who recently hit a scintillating ton against Pakistan, is set to join the squad once his Under-19 Asia Cup duties are over, said the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) on Wednesday. Rajputs timing of his arrival will depend on how India progresses in the Under-19 Asia Cup, especially with the side set to take on Afghanistan in the second semifinal in Muscat on Thursday. The Punjab squad will have another change when Sehaj Dhawan comes in as the replacement for wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, who has been named in the India A squad for the Mens Rising Stars Asia Cup, to be held in Doha from November 19-29. With Ramandeep leading the charge, in-form Salil Arora is the designated wicketkeeper. The experienced Anmolpreet Singh and Sanvir Singh, along with Uday Saharan and Vihaan Malhotra, strengthen the batting line-up, while left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar and leg-spinner Raghu Sharma will lead the spin bowling department. Sukhdeep Bajwa, Krish Bhagat, Jashan Jindal, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Sahil Bhaskar, Kartik Chadda, who impressed in this years Sher-e-Punjab tournament, and Vishwa Nath Pratap complete the group. The squad also includes veteran pacer Umesh Yadav, who joined the state for this season as a guest player. Punjab are in Elite Group B alongside Haryana, Delhi, Railways, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Saurashtra and Bihar. Their campaign opens against neighbours Haryana at 9 am on November 14, followed by a clash with Delhi at 4:30 pm on November 16. Railways are up next for a meeting on November 18 at 11 am, before a 9 am clash with Tamil Nadu takes place on November 20. Punjab will then face Jammu and Kashmir at 1:30 pm on November 22 and Saurashtra at 11 am on November 24, before wrapping up their commitments against Bihar at 1:30 pm on November 26. Punjab previously won the title in 2023/24, and finished as runners-up four times. Punjab squad: Vishwa Nath Pratap, Prabhsimran Singh (Sehaj Dhawan to replace him later), Vihaan Malhotra, Anmolpreet Singh, Uday Saharan, Salil Arora (wk), Ramandeep Singh (captain), Sanvir Singh, Raghu Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Sahil Bhaskar, Kartik Chadda, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Sukhdeep Bajwa, Jashan Jindal, Krish Bhagat and Umesh Yadav Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS