Devdutt Padikkal on Monday replaced Mayank Agarwal as Karnataka skipper ahead of their last Ranji Trophy league match against Punjab, beginning at Mullanpur from January 29. Agarwal was retained in the role of a senior batter in the 15-man squad which also featured India players KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna.

This will be Rahul`s first Ranji match after playing against Haryana in January 2025. Agarwal endured a middling season so far, scoring 298 runs in nine innings at an average of 33, with a century and two fifties.