The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
Shreyas Iyer would be aiming to revive his start-stop international career, while Ishan Kishan would aim to clear the popular perception about his allegedly 'misplaced priorities'.
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
Shastri added that Shreyas Iyer, who has had a tremendous run in white-ball cricket for India as well as in the IPL, is another player who could get selected for the England tour, but would face stiff competition.
Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh moved up to the sixth and 10th spot respectively in the latest ICC T20 rankings released on Wednesday.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten century, while Virat Kohli returned to form with a fluent fifty as India cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the inconsequential third and final ODI against Australia.
In April, Bumrah underwent a lower back surgery in New Zealand. The successful medical procedure has kept the bowler pain free.
The JioStar expert also analysed KKR's buys at the auction, saying that getting NZ all-rounder Rachin Ravindra at base price was smart and there is "serious batting power" in the squad.
For most IPL teams, the 2026 mini auction will be all about strategic buys and role-specific additions, while for a couple of others, it is going to be a captain-centric affair.
India captain Rohit Sharma has climbed to second place in the ICC men's ODI batting rankings, closing in on top-ranked Shubman Gill.
Despite outstanding performances in the IPL and on the international stage, several big names failed to make the cut.
Venkatesh and Shreyas unleashed their inner beasts, tearing apart the SRH bowling attack.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
Nair will bat at No 5 at The Oval in what many see as his last chance at redemption.
India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma will be the ambassador of the T20 Mumbai League.
Prabhsimran and Shreyas's catches halted Punjab's momentum.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya will not be available for the league stage matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy because of personal reasons, but he will join Baroda if they progress to the knockouts.
Punjab Kings assistant coach Brad Haddin says the team is aiming for steady improvement as the IPL playoffs approach, highlighting the positive contributions of their young players and the bowlers' strong execution despite the Impact Player rule.
Iyer injured his shoulder while fielding during the ODI series against England last month.
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane backed Shreyas Iyer to deliver a punchy performance for the team in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu.
Pandya did admit that execution on part of MI bowlers was off the mark.
Tilak Varma made a strong claim for selection in India's 50-over format with an attractive 94 but Australia A came back strongly to win the rain-affected second List A game by nine wickets, in Kanpur, on Friday.
Jaiswal ticked a box in the third ODI with his maidan ton and Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with a hundred at Raipur, leaving Gambhir pleased as punch.
Abhishek Sharma blasted his way to a superb century as Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down a record total to outclass Punjab Kings in a high-scoring IPL 2025 match.
Shubman Gill might just want to be fit enough to bat, as even a half-fit skipper is seen as more effective than Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran or Sarfaraz Khan.
Shreyas Iyer's inspiring leadership faces its toughest test yet when Punjab Kings host an equally upbeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League in Mullanpur on Thursday.
'About Gautam bhai, I feel he has got immense knowledge about how the game is played. He has won two titles previously with KKR, and his strategies have been spot-on in terms of what execution we have to make against the opposition.'
Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel's marathon partnership was the highlight of the first unofficial Test in Lucknow, which ended in a rain-hit draw between India 'A' and Australia 'A' on Friday.
Gaikwad constructed a handy partnership 90 for the second wicket with Aarya Desai as West gradually entered a stabilised phase.
With an impressive blend of composure and aggression, Iyer has been a standout performer in the 50-over format, particularly against the Blackcaps.
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
Virat Kohli fit to play 2nd ODI.
Iyer lost his eighth toss in 11 games but that did not a have bearing on the team's performance as KKR amassed 235 for six after being put in to bat by Lucknow Super Giants.
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer called it 'Entertainment, Fascination and Captivation.' What did the others say?
Virat Kohli's nearly two-decade long agonising wait to lay his hands on an IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be up against Shreyas Iyer's resolve to make first-time winners out of the tenacious Punjab Kings.
A full-strength Punjab Kings will fancy their chances of securing their first top-two finish in 11 years, when they face Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer rejoins Team India in practice ahead of Bangladesh clash
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