New Delhi: Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul suffered disappointing starts to the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season on Sunday, falling for a duck and four runs respectively on the opening day of the domestic first-class tournament.

Jaiswal was dismissed without scoring off 13 balls while opening the batting for Mumbai against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium. Rahul, meanwhile, managed just four runs for Karnataka against Andhra in Vijayawada, where pace bowlers Kavuri Saiteja and KV Sasikanth struck early to leave last season's runners-up in early trouble.

Karnataka lost four early wickets as Andhra's bowling attack made the most of their start. Rahul's dismissal in the fourth over compounded the visitors' early woes, leaving the middle order with a significant recovery task.

Jaiswal entered the domestic campaign after being named in India's ODI squad for the West Indies series, though he did not feature in any of the three matches. The 24-year-old last played during India's two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, where he accumulated 77 runs across three innings. Prior to Mumbai's opening match, Jaiswal was spotted keeping wickets during a practice session, prompting Mumbai captain Siddhesh Lad to suggest the opener might be eyeing a wicketkeeping role down the line, though Lad noted he lacked official clarity on the player's intentions.

Rahul arrived at the domestic competition following a productive outing in India's recent ODI series against the West Indies, where he recorded an unbeaten century off 82 balls in his sole innings during a 2-1 series victory, marking his ninth hundred in the format.

India captain Shubman Gill sat out the opening round, missing Punjab's match against Assam in New Chandigarh, though he could feature in Punjab's second fixture against Chhattisgarh beginning next Sunday. Other internationals such as Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, and Manav Suthar also took part in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Rahul, Jaiswal, Washington, and Devdutt Padikkal are among 11 Test players selected in India's 15-member squad for a three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand A, which gets underway on October 24. That series features overlapping schedules with India's senior ODI fixtures against New Zealand in November, potentially restricting the availability of these players depending on senior team requirements.

The opening round of the domestic season was also impacted by administrative issues, resulting in the cancellation of the Plate Group fixture between Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in Ahmedabad. An ongoing legal dispute within the Arunachal Pradesh Cricket Association left the state body without a functioning administration, preventing the team from taking the field.