Prasidh Krishna returns as Karnataka announce squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023

Karnataka have announced their 16-man squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's premier domestic T20 competition. Prasidh Krishna marked his return to the team after a long time away due to a lower back injury.

The pacer recently made his India comeback during a two-match T20I series in Ireland. In the five matches since his comeback, including in the Asia Cup 2023, he picked up eight wickets across two T20Is and three ODIs. He was also in contention for the 2023 World Cup but missed out against veteran pacer Mohammed Shami.

But Prasidh's return means that Manvanth Kumar, a promising fast-bowling all-rounder who shone in the 2023 Maharaja Trophy, has to wait more for his chance.

Led by Mayank Agarwal, Karnataka have a few other changes compared to the previous Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Spinners Shreyas Gopal is a notable absentee after his switch to Kerala in August. Luvnith Sisodia missed out as Shrijith KL got the nod while Jagadeesa Suchith and Venkatesh M were also left out.

Karun Nair, who was the top run-scorer of the Maharaja Trophy, also recently shifted bases to Vidarbha, and wasn't available for selection.

Karnataka have solidified their image as a domestic powerhouse recently. They beat India's side for the Asian Games 2023 in a practice match, toured and beat Namibia 3-2 in a five-match List-A series, and recently trounced the Netherlands' World Cup team by 142 runs in a warm-up match too.

They'll play their first match of the tournament against Tamil Nadu on October 16.

Karnataka's squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023

Mayank Agarwal (Captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Chethan LR, Manish Pandey (Vice Captain), Abhinav Manohar, Shubhang Hegde, Sharath BR (WK), Gowtham K, Prasidh M Krishna, Vidwath Kaverappa, Koushik V, Vyshak V, Manoj Bhandage, Pravin Dubey, Shrijith KL (WK) and Samarth R.