Ranji Trophy 2017-2018: 6 teams that can go all the way

While the rest of the nation is busy revelling in the success of the Indian team in the recently concluded bilateral series against the mighty Australians, India's domestic players are rigorously going through the grind to prepare themselves for the most prestigious tournament in the domestic circuit, the Ranji Trophy which is all set to kick off from tomorrow.

Unlike in the previous seasons, this time the 28 teams have been divided into four groups with the top two sides from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

With an opportunity to impress the selectors before the Test series against the Proteas, the iconic tournament provides an ideal platform for the young turks to showcase their talent on the national stage.

The initial rounds of the competition will provide plenty of glamour as most of the Test specialists are all set to feature for their respective sides. While Tamil Nadu has been bolstered by the inclusion of Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin, the fortunes of Saurashtra will largely depend on the performance of Cheteshwar Pujara.

With the chance to stake a claim for a spot in the national side, there is plenty to play for as the players gear up for this premier event which is spread over the span of three months.

Here is the preview of the top six teams who are the front-runners for the coveted title.

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Gujarat

Gujarat created history by lifting the title for the first time ever since the team's inception after defeating Mumbai in the summit clash last season at Indore. The Parthiv Patel-led outfit has been one of the most consistent teams in the domestic circuit for the past couple of years.

The opening combination of Priyank Panchal and Samit Gohel will shoulder the batting responsibility along with the skipper, while the bowling department will be led by veteran RP Singh. The left arm pacer was instrumental in the team's victorious campaign last season as he used his wealth of experience to guide the youngsters in the team and produce match-winning performances.

The bowling unit will be also be boosted by the inclusion of Piyush Chawla for the upcoming season. The leg-spinner has struggled to cement his place in the national side and would be hoping to create a significant impact with his new team.

The defending champions will start their campaign against Kerala at Nadiad in round two of the competition.

Squad: Yet to be announced

Punjab

Yuvraj Singh is set to miss the opening game.

The two stalwarts of Indian cricket, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh will not be a part of the squad for the opening encounter against Himachal Pradesh at Dharamsala. The duo are set to miss the match owing to other commitments.

While Yuvraj Singh is scheduled to be at the National Cricket Academy for a fitness test, the off-spinner is expected to join the team for the second or third round of the tournament.

Punjab have also been jolted by the unavailability of their middle-order batsman, Mandeep Singh. The right-hander underwent a back surgery earlier this year and is expected to miss the entire domestic season of 2017-2018.

The team has plenty of new faces with youngsters like Abhishek Sharma coming through the ranks of junior cricket which will add a new dimension to the side.

The pace bowling department looks lethal as Sandeep Sharma and Barinder Sran expected to play a crucial role with the new ball. The addition of Siddharth Kaul after his commitments with the India A squad will also be a massive boost for the northern outfit.

The performance of the team with the bat will rest on the shoulders of the skipper, Jeevanjot Singh and the experienced Gurkkerat Singh Mann.

If Punjab dream of winning the trophy, the duo along with Uday Kaul will need to do the bulk of the scoring.

Squad: Jeevanjot Singh (Captain), Pargat Singh, Shubman Gill, Uday Kaul, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Taruwar Kohli, Mayank Siddana, Abhishek Gupta (wicketkeeper), Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sran, Sandeep Sharma, Manpreet Singh Grewal, Shubek Gill, Raghu Shivam Sharma and Abhishek Sharma.

Karnataka

One of the teams to watch out for in this season.

One of the most improved teams in the domestic circuit, Karnataka took the cricket plaudits by storm with their dominant performances in the domestic circuit. They completed the historic treble not once but twice as they completely outclassed their opponents in the 2014 and 2015 season.

However, the past couple of seasons have not been great in comparison to the high standard set by the team, and they will be looking to get back to winning ways in this domestic season.

The team, unfortunately, will be missing the experience of Robin Uthappa, who has switched his loyalties to play for Saurashtra in the upcoming season. With Vinay Kumar at the helm, the bowling unit looks potent, especially with the likes of Abhimanyu Mithun and Sreenath Arvind.

The batting fortunes of the team will depend on the opening combination of Ravikumar Samarth and Mayank Agarwal, while a huge responsibility will rest on the shoulders of Karun Nair when he is available from his India A commitments.

The right-handed batsman has not had a great run after his historic triple hundred against England, and will be looking to make amends to fight for a position in the Indian middle order.

Squad: Yet to be announced

Tamil Nadu

Ravichandran Ashwin is set to play for Tamil Nadu in the season opener

India's Test opener Murali Vijay and champion off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have been included in the squad for the opening game against Andhra Pradesh. The duo are expected to bolster the team in the absence of wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar.

The team, led by Abhinav Mukund has an exciting blend of youth and experience with the likes of Baba Indrajith and Washington Sundar fresh from their exploits in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.

The 17-year-old will be one of the players to watch out for in the coming season after his stellar performances in the Indian Premier League and the finals of the Duleep Trophy.

Tamil Nadu is regarded as one of the dark horses in the lead up to the tournament and will be looking to turn things around after their semi-final loss to Mumbai in the previous edition.

Squad: Abhinav Mukund (c), Baba Indrajith, Murali Vijay, M Kaushik Gandhi, N. Jagadeesan, Baba Aparajith, M S Washington Sundar, Rahil S Shah, Krishnamoorthy Vignesh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshminarayanan Vignesh, Ravi Srinivasan Sai Kishore, V Lakshman, Rohith Ramkumar, Malolan Rangarajan.

Mumbai

Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy for 41 times.

One of the most dominant forces in the domestic circuit, the 'khadoos army' will be one of the firm favourites to lift the championship. Despite faltering in the final frontier last season, Mumbai will be looking to bounce back and start the season on a positive note.

The team will start their campaign without their seasoned campaigners as the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Shardul Thakur and Dhawal Kulkarni are all expected to miss the initial round owing to their selection in the India A and the Board President XI squad.

While there is no shortage of talent in the maidans of Mumbai, the unavailability of these players will give an ideal opportunity for the youngsters to showcase their talent and guide the team through.

The fortunes of the batting department will largely depend on the likes of Surya Kumar Yadav and Siddhesh Lad, while the senior professional of the side, Abhishek Nayar, will take over the responsibility of the bowling unit.

There is also the outside possibility of Ajinkya Rahane featuring in the opening match as he is not a part of the Indian team for the T-20 series against Australia.

The 41 times champions will begin their campaign in the second round starting on 14th October against Madhya Pradesh at Indore.

Squad: Yet to be announced

Bengal

Mohammed Shami might turn out for Bengal in the opening match.

Bengal cricket has been surrounded with a number of controversies in their lead up to the opening match of the tournament against Services. With Pragyan Ojha not being granted a No Objection Certificate from the association to represent Hyderabad, the left-arm spinner has not reported to the team's training session, and has been left out of the squad for the first two rounds.

While the team will be led by the experienced Manoj Tiwary, the batting unit looks settled with Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Chatterjee shouldering responsibility.

India's wicket-keeper for the Test matches, Wriddhiman Saha is all set to don the gloves for his state side till the start of the Test series against Sri Lanka later this year. After consistent performances for the Indian team in the grand home season, Saha will be the key for Bengal in their bid for the championship.

The team is also likely to receive a huge boost before their season opener as Mohammed Shami might feature for them after being left out of the Indian squad for the T20I series against Australia.

Squad: Manoj Tiwary (c), Sudip Chatterjee, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shreevats Goswami, Anustup Majumder, Abhishek Raman, Koushik Ghosh, Aamir Gani, Pradipta Pramanik, Ashok Dinda, Sayan Ghosh, Mukesh Kumar, Kanishk Seth, B Amit and Writtick Chatterjee