Delhi: Delhi has announced a record large team of 24 players for its first match of Ranji Trophy 2025. Young batsman Priyansh Arya has got a chance for the first time in this team. Delhi team will play its first match against Hyderabad from 15th October.

Captaincy to Ayush Badoni

The command of this team has been handed over to Ayush Badoni, while Yash Dhull will be the vice-captain. The selectors have announced a bigger squad so that more options are available in every match. However, in the matches to be held on home ground, the team will be reduced to 15 players.

Priyansh selected after his performance in IPL

Priyansh Arya has got this opportunity after his excellent performance in the IPL 2025 season. While playing for Punjab Kings, he scored 475 runs at a strike rate of 179.24. He played a stormy inning of 103 runs in just 42 balls against Chennai Super Kings. Apart from this, in last year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy also he scored 102 runs in 43 balls against Uttar Pradesh at Wankhede.

Nitish Rana returns to Delhi team

The selection committee has also included senior batsman Nitish Rana in the team, who was recently seen playing for Uttar Pradesh. Delhi Cricket Association (DDCA) Secretary Ashok Sharma said that Rana is an experienced player and the selectors wanted to give him another chance. He also said that there is a possibility of Rishabh Pant playing in the next match.

Question on Nitish Rana regarding fitness

However, a DDCA official, on condition of anonymity, said that Nitish Rana is not completely fit at the moment and yet he has been included in the team for red-ball cricket. According to the official, he is not completely ready for red-ball cricket.