Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) on Wednesday announced a 17-member squad for the first two matches of the upcoming Ranji Trophy.
Promising batsman Subhranshu Senapati has been appointed as the skipper of the team.
Shantanu Mishra, Anurag Sarangi, Subhranshu Senapati, Govind Podar and Abhishek Raut will take care of the batting department of the squad. The bowling mantle will be taken over by Devbrat Pradhan, Suryakant Pradhan, Basant Mohanty and Subham Nayak. Rajesh Dhoopar and Sujith Lenka will play the role as wicket-keeper batsmen.
As many as four new faces have been drafted in the squad. They are Swastik Samal, Tarini Shah, Kartik Biswal and Saurabh Kanojia.
Former batsman Rashmi Ranjan Parida has been appointed as the head coach of the team.
Odisha will open their campaign against formidable Baroda on December 13 followed by their second match against Uttarakhand on December 20.
The important domestic tournament starts on December 13 across multiple venues in the country. The final will be held from February 16, 2023.
Ranji Trophy 2022-23 Format and Groups
The tournament will feature 38 teams across five different Groups - eight teams each in Groups A, B and C and D and six in the Plate Group. The tournament will also return to its traditional home and away format.
Elite A: Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Bengal, Baroda, Odisha
Elite B: Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai, Assam, Saurashtra, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Delhi
Elite C: Kerala, Jharkhand, Goa, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Services
Elite D: Punjab, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Gujarat, Vidarbha, Railways
Plate Group: Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya