NEW DELHI: Devdutt Padikkal was named Karnataka captain on Monday, replacing Mayank Agarwal ahead of their final Ranji Trophy league fixture against Punjab, scheduled to begin at Mullanpur on January 29. Agarwal continues in the squad as a senior batter in the 15-member group, which also includes India internationals KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna. This will mark Rahul’s first Ranji Trophy appearance since turning out against Haryana in January 2025. Devdutt Padikkal lead Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/N9DSV60B25 — Danish (@BhttDNSH100) January 26, 2026 Mixed season for Agarwal, Padikkal returns Agarwal has had a modest campaign so far, scoring 298 runs from nine innings at an average of 33, with one century and two half-centuries. Padikkal had started the season with scores of 96 and 15 against Saurashtra in Rajkot before leaving for national commitments. His return to the Ranji circuit, however, was a forgettable one, as he was dismissed for two ducks in the match against Madhya Pradesh at Alur last week. Despite that, Padikkal enjoyed an outstanding Vijay Hazare Trophy, piling up 725 runs in nine innings at an impressive average of 90.62. Injuries, comebacks and qualification scenario Ravichandran Smaran, who sat out the previous league game against Madhya Pradesh due to a shoulder niggle, has been recalled to the side. Senior batter Karun Nair, though, will miss the Punjab clash after picking up a webbing injury during the match against Madhya Pradesh. Nair did not bat in Karnataka’s second innings, with Nikin Jose coming in as a concussion substitute in a game the hosts lost by a hefty 197-run margin. Karnataka, currently on 21 points, sit third in Group B behind Maharashtra (24) and Madhya Pradesh (22), and will need an outright win against Punjab to seal a knockout berth without relying on complex permutations. (With PTI Inputs)