Jharkhand’s latest Ranji Trophy campaign begins at Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur against Kerala on Sunday, carrying both the promise of a talented new generation and the challenge of coping without some of their biggest stars.Having topped Elite Group A and reached the quarterfinals last season under Ishan Kishan, Jharkhand enter the new campaign with renewed confidence after a successful domestic cycle that also included a maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title and a strong Vijay Hazare Trophy run. The focus now is on translating that momentum into red-ball success.Head coach Ratan Kumar believes the groundwork has already been laid through an extensive pre-season programme. The side trained in Chennai before shifting to camps in Ranchi and Jamshedpur, making use of indoor facilities, centre-wicket sessions and playing a three-day practice game against a considerably strong Tamil Nadu side at Keenan from Oct 3.“The preparation has been very good for the team. We got good facilities in Ranchi despite the rain, good turf wickets and very good practice. The boys are preparing well,” Ratan told STOI.Jharkhand will begin the season without talismanic keeper-batter Ishan Kishan, now an integral part of India setup and unlikely to be available for much of the domestic season. The opening fixture will also be missed by another keeper-batter Kumar Kushagra, who is with the India A squad for the Australia A one-day series in Puducherry, and spinner-allrounder Anukul Roy, who earned an India A call-up following Naman Dhir’s promotion to India’s T20I squad. Both are expected to return after the first game.For Ratan, those absences are evidence of the state system’s progress rather than setback.“If a player plays at a higher level, nothing can be bigger than that for a coach. There is obviously no backup for someone like Ishan Kishan, but if our players are playing higher cricket, nothing can make us happier,” he said.The responsibility of leading the side now falls on experienced left-hander Virat Singh, a member of East Zone’s Duleep Trophy-winning side who has captained Jharkhand previously. Around him is a youthful core that has already begun making waves on the domestic circuit. Interestingly, at 28, Virat is the senior most guy in the squad, with most players in the 21-24 years bracket.Twenty-one-year-old Shikhar Mohan is among the brightest prospects in the country. The left-hander amassed 613 runs in his maiden Ranji Trophy season, including a double hundred against Nagaland. This year he strengthened his credentials further with an 85 in the Duleep Trophy final alongside double-centurion Kishan and a gritty 60 for Rest of India in the Irani Cup victory over Jammu & Kashmir.Another player to watch is spinner-allrounder Md Kounain Quraishi, whose rise has been meteoric. Drafted into the East Zone squad as an injury replacement, Quraishi made his first-class debut directly in the Duleep Trophy semifinal and finished the tournament with seven wickets and an unbeaten century in the final. Remarkably, he is yet to make his Ranji Trophy debut for Jharkhand and could step in for Anukul immediately.The middle order also boasts experience through Sharandeep Singh, Utkarsh Singh and Robin Minz, while Sushant Mishra, Sourabh Shekhar and Jatin Pandey headline a promising pace attack. Manishi and Quraishi are expected to shoulder the spin burden.Ratan is particularly excited by left-arm pacer Sushant’s development.“He had established himself in white-ball cricket, but this year he has prepared himself a lot for red-ball cricket. He wants to prove himself there as well,” the coach said.With several players, and Ratan himself, coming straight from successful Duleep Trophy campaigns, Jharkhand head into the season battle-hardened rather than undercooked. The coach believes the next challenge is to build on last season’s quarterfinal finish and establish themselves among the country’s top red-ball sides.“Our objective this time has much more focus on red-ball cricket. We played the quarterfinals and now we want to keep taking that process forward,” Ratan said.For a squad brimming with young talent, growing depth and belief, Jharkhand’s ambitions extend far beyond another respectable campaign. The dream is to turn potential into a genuine Ranji Trophy title push.Former India player & current JSCA secretary Saurabh Tiwary on his hopes for Jharkhand cricket:“As a former player and now an administrator, my dream is to see Jharkhand continue doing well in domestic cricket and compete strongly in tournaments like the Ranji Trophy. It is especially satisfying when players from the state make significant contributions on bigger stages. Seeing Ishan, Kushagra, Shikhar, Quraishi and others perform at this level gives immense pride and shows the strength of Jharkhand cricket. Winning Ranji Trophy has been a dream since long; I want to see them achieve (that) which I could not as a player.”Jharkhand squad for the first match: Virat Singh (captain), Shikhar Mohan (vice-captain), Sharandeep Singh, Utkarsh Singh, Robin Minz (wk), Kounain Quraishi, Aditya Singh, Amit Kumar, Manishi, Sourabh Shekhar, Sahil Raj, Jatin Pandey, Sushant Mishra, Shresht Sagar (wk), Pratyush Kumar and Aryaman Sen.Group C fixtures: Oct 11-14: vs Kerala (in Jamshedpur); Oct 18-21: vs Maharashtra (in Pune); Oct 26-29: vs Delhi (in Ranchi); Nov 2-5: vs Odisha (in Bhubaneswar); Jan 17-20: vs Services (in Jamshedpur); Jan 24-27: vs Bengal (in Jamshedpur); Feb 1-4: vs Gujarat (venue TBD)Best-ever finish: Semifinals in 2004–05 Season (lost to Haryana) & in 2016-17 season (lost to Gujarat)Notable finishes: Multiple quarterfinal appearances including the 2022–23 and 2025–26 seasons
