Published: January 19, 2026 at 10:59 pm
Where should the selectors invest their best players? It will obviously be with the team which has more chances of doing well in the tournament. The Hyderabad senior selection committee may have had this dilemma when selecting the Ranji Trophy and the Under-23 teams for their forthcoming matches.
The selectors last week announced the squad for the Ranji Trophy games against Mumbai and Chhattisgarh with Mohammed Siraj being anointed the captain for both games. Hyderabad meet Mumbai from January 22 and later will take on Chhattisgarh. Both games are at home.
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On the other hand, the Under-23 (Col CK Nayudu Trophy) team will meet Vidarbha from January 23 at home, but the selectors still haven’t named the team. Sources said the selectors have finalized the squad, but they are waiting for approval from the top brass and, therefore, the delay in the announcement.
The selectors included Hyderabad’s latest batting sensation P Aman Rao, who struck a double century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this month, and Nitin Sai Yadav in the Ranji Trophy squad. Both the players were with the Under-23 team till now.
The question is whether it was a prudent move to disturb the Under-23 squad? Playing at the higher level is always a dream for any player and undoubtedly Aman deserves a place in the Ranji Trophy squad. But was it wise to shift these two players to the Ranji squad when their utility will be much higher with the Under-23 team?
Ranji team’s chances
Let us look at the position of both the teams and try to see if the move was correct, the intentions may be right, to strengthen the Ranji team, and no one is questioning the intentions of the selectors but looking at the prudency of the move.
The Ranji team is in Elite Group D and is placed fifth, out of eight teams, with 13 points to its credit. Top two teams from each group qualify for the knock-out stage and as such Mumbai with 24 points and J&K with 20 points are in the first two positions after five games. Only two more matches are left for each team and what are Hyderabad’s chances of qualifying for the knockouts.
The best-case scenario for Hyderabad, who have 13 points in their kitty, is to win both their games and also hope that J&K lose both their games. If Hyderabad win both games they will get 12 points and would end up with 25 (27 in case Hyderabad win both games with bonus point) and, therefore, be in contention. However, even that will not guarantee them a place in the knockouts.
Mumbai already have 24 and even if they lose one game, it will not affect them much. And even if J&K win one of their matches they will end up with 26 points. Hence, Hyderabad winning both their matches will only give them an outside chance but not a guarantee of making the grade. But even if one of their matches ends in a draw, then Hyderabad are out of the race.
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Unfortunately for Hyderabad they are meeting 41-time champions Mumbai in the next round and that could well decide if the hosts have any chance of qualifying.
Under-23 team has better chances in the tournament
On the other hand, the Under-23 team has a far better chance of going the distance. They have 28 points from three games and still have four matches to play. The table toppers are Bengal who have 30 points. Vidarbha and Mumbai have 29 each and Rajasthan has 28. Hyderabad are just two points adrift from the table toppers.
It is a close battle being fought in the group and all the five teams have an equal chance of ending up in the first two positions. Hence, should the selectors strengthen the Under-23 team or weaken it by pulling out two of their performers.
That is the question which begs an answer? How best will the presence of Aman Rao and Nitin Sai Yadav help turn the fortunes of the Ranji team? Even if Hyderabad win both games, they are still not guaranteed of making the grade. But, on the other hand, Aman and Nitin’s presence could make a world of difference for the Under-23 team.
Selectors dilemma
For the selectors, both team’s performances are equally important but with one team being on solid ground wouldn’t it have been better to make it stronger? Why this bravado, in trying to strengthen the team, when it is clear that the Ranji team’s chances are near zilch.
What is also interesting is that the points system in the Under-23 is different from the Ranji matches. Even if a team loses a match in the Under-23, they could still end up with some (batting/bowling) points which will be crucial in the final analysis. That is not the case with the Ranji games as a loss means a team ends up with zero points.
With so much at stake for the Under-23 team was it a good move to pull out Aman and Nitin? If the selectors wanted to see fresh blood in the Ranji team, they could well have given some of the league toppers a chance. Players like Sai Vikas Reddy, who scored 752 runs with five centuries in league cricket, and HK Simha, who has scored 486 runs with three hundreds, could well have been drafted in.
