Dharmani to lead young Punjab side

Veteran wicketkeeper Pankaj Dharmani will lead an inexperienced Punjab team in the Ranji Trophy this season. The team will be coached by Gursharan Singh, who played one Test for India and also led Punjab to the Ranji title in 1992-93.

The team, left depleted after seven of their players had defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL), features five uncapped players and three who have played less than 10 first-class games. They have also recalled Ankur Kakkar and Chandan Madan, who last played in 2005.

The fast-bowling department looks strong with Gagandeep Singh and VRV Singh to be joined by the 18-year-old Amanpreet Singh, who took four Mumbai wickets on debut last season. Uncapped legspinner Sarabjit Ladda and the 6'4" seamer Manpreet Gony are already highly talked about.

In the batting department, Dharmani and Ravneet Ricky, who have been their mainstay over the years, will have all the more responsibility in the absence of Dinesh Mongia and Reetinder Sodhi. Young batsmen Sumit Sharma, the 19-year-old who has played for India Under-19, and Ravi Inder Singh, who is leading Punjab in the CK Nayudu Trophy, might be the ones to watch out for. Karan Goel, the highest run-getter in the domestic Twenty20, will look to carry that form into first-class cricket.

Gursharan has spent 14 days with the team at a preparatory camp, after which they spurned the list of 30 probables to 17. Although Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh have been named in the 17, it is unlikely they will play many matches for Punjab.

Squad for the first match: Pankaj Dharmani (capt/wk), Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Karan Goel, Ravneet Ricky, Ravi Inder Singh, Uday Kaul, Ankur Kakkar, Chandan Madan, Gagandeep Singh, Amanpreet Singh, VRV Singh, Sarabjit Ladda, Manpreet Gony, Sunny Sohal, Sumit Sharma, Varun Khanna