Rishabh Pant to Captain Rest of India Against J&K in Irani Cup 2026- IPL

Rishabh Pant will captain Rest of India in the Irani Cup match against Jammu & Kashmir, the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy champions. Pant was not picked for India’s ODI series against the West Indies. Sarfaraz Khan has been named Pant’s deputy for the match. The game will be played from October 1 to 5 at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar.

Akash Deep Set for Return

Fast bowler Akash Deep could return to competitive cricket in the Irani Cup. He has been out for a long period because of a lower-back stress injury. His selection is subject to fitness. Akash Deep’s last match came against Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy in February 2026. He could now face the same team in his return game.

Pacers and Spinners in the Squad

The pace attack also includes Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary and Aryan Pandey. Rest of India have several options in the spin department as well. Anukul Roy joins Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain among the spinners. Suthar and Jain recently played in the Test series against Sri Lanka.

The Rest of India squad also includes R Smaran and Ayush Doseja. They finished as the top two run-scorers in the previous Ranji Trophy. Rest of India will face the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy champions in the five-day Irani Cup match. The contest in Srinagar will run from October 1 to 5.

ALSO READ: IPL 2027 Auction to Be Held in India as BCCI Confirms Mini-Auction