Priyansh Arya has earned his maiden first-class call-up as Delhi named a record 24-member squad for their opening Ranji Trophy clash against Hyderabad, beginning October 15. Ayush Badoni will lead the side, with Yash Dhull as his deputy.
Arya’s selection comes on the back of a stellar IPL 2025 season with Punjab Kings, where he scored 475 runs at a strike rate of 179.24, highlighted by a blistering 103 off 42 balls against Chennai Super Kings. He also impressed in last year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, smashing a rapid 102 off 43 balls against Uttar Pradesh at Wankhede Stadium.
The DDCA selection committee, which met on Thursday, also recalled senior batter Nitish Rana to the red-ball squad, marking his return to Delhi after a brief stint with Uttar Pradesh.
“The selectors have named 24 because they felt that a larger pool is always available for selection during each game. However, when we play home games in Delhi, we will prune it down to 15,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told PTI.
On Rana’s return, Sharma said: “He is an experienced player and the selectors wanted to check him out. In any case, he will play the white-ball leg. In fact, in the next game, we are expecting Rishabh Pant to play.”
A DDCA official, speaking anonymously, said Rana was not fully fit for the red-ball assignment.
“Nitish Rana isn’t even fully fit for red-ball engagements, and yet he has been drafted in,” said the official.
A senior DDCA official explained that although only 15 players are allowed in the dressing room under the BCCI’s anti-corruption code, the remaining nine in the 24-member squad would stay at the team hotel for four days.
“Apart from 15 chosen for the game, the other nine would spend four days in the team hotel.”
It is understood that none of the coaching staff or selection committee members have been given formal contracts. The squad announcement also did not mention the chairman of the selection committee, amid differing opinions: a former BCCI office-bearer favours Services’ Yashpal Singh for the role, while the current DDCA office-bearers support KP Bhaskar.
The meeting that finalized the squad was attended by selectors Yashpal Singh, K Bhaskar Pillai, and Manu Nayar, along with chief coach Sarandeep Singh, CAC member Surinder Khanna, and DDCA officials Ashok Sharma (Secretary) and Amit Grover (Joint Secretary).
“All selected players have been instructed to report to chief coach Sarandeep for practice on October 10 at the St Stephen’s Ground,” DDCA said in a release.
Delhi squad for Ranji Trophy clash vs Hyderabad
Ayush Badoni (captain), Yash Dhull (vice-captain), Arpit Rana, Sanat Sangwan, Anuj Rawat (wk), Sumit Mathur, Shivam Sharma, Rounak Waghela, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, Money Grewal, Siddhant Sharma, Dhruv Kaushik, Pranav Rajvanshi (wk), Nitish Rana, Himmat Singh, Ayush Doseja, Rahul Dagar, Hrithik Shokeen, Priyansh Arya, Tejasvi (wk), Vaibhav Kandpal, Rohan Rana, Aryan Rana (subject to fitness).
