India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill’s return to Ranji Trophy action for Punjab will be the main attraction when the second round of the domestic first-class tournament gets under way across the country on Sunday.

Gill missed Punjab’s opening-round fixture, with former India Under-19 captain Uday Saharan leading the side in his absence as Punjab secured three points with a first-innings lead over Assam.

Punjab will face Chhattisgarh in their second match of the season.

Gill heads into the contest on the back of a prolific run in India’s 2-1 ODI series win over the West Indies, where he amassed 334 runs at an average of 167 to earn the Player-of-the-Series award.

In the second ODI, he smashed an unbeaten 223 off 133 balls, registering the fastest double-century in the format, as India chased down a target of 406 with 39 balls to spare to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

In another Group B fixture, Karnataka will be led by spin-bowling all-rounder Shreyas Gopal when they take on Saurashtra in Alur.

The former champions will be without batter Ravichandran Smaran, who has joined the India A squad for the upcoming multi-day tour of New Zealand.

Karnataka will be boosted by the return of frontline pacers Vidwath Kaverappa and Vyshak Vijaykumar, who have recovered from injuries.

After being bowled out for 274 in their first innings against Andhra in the opening round, Karnataka mounted a fightback in their second essay, with veteran Karun Nair producing a resolute unbeaten 155 to help them salvage a draw and secure a point.

Group B leaders Hyderabad, on the other hand, will look to consolidate their position at the top when they travel to face Andhra.

They began their campaign with a bonus-point victory over Tripura, winning by an innings and 40 runs.

Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan led the charge with a match haul of nine wickets as Hyderabad dominated Tripura to collect seven points.

In Group D, Mumbai will be without vice-captain and opening batter Ayush Mhatre when they take on Himachal Pradesh, with the depleted batting line-up facing an early test.

India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is also unavailable as he is part of the India A squad for the New Zealand tour.

Mumbai have drafted in Divyansh Saxena and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who are likely to open the innings.

Mhatre’s return to competitive cricket after a lengthy injury layoff lasted only one innings, as he suffered a Grade 4 tear in his right hamstring during the opening round of the Ranji Trophy.

The injury is expected to sideline him for another month.

With Mhatre and Jaiswal unavailable, Mumbai will also hope for a return to form from middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan.

The domestic stalwart managed just one run against Chandigarh and will be keen to rediscover his touch after also recording a duck in the Irani Cup, following a first-innings 45 against defending Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir.

In Group C, Delhi and Services will look to bounce back from heavy defeats in their opening matches when they take on Gujarat and Bengal, respectively.

Both face formidable opposition, with Gujarat and Bengal coming off convincing victories that have given them early momentum in the competition.

Gujarat, who sit atop the group after a 10-wicket win over Odisha, will look to maintain their winning run. Vedant Trivedi struck a century in the opening match, while opener Aarya Desai and wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel also impressed with the bat.

Their bowling unit delivered a collective performance, with new-ball bowlers Chintan Gaja and Arzan Nagwaswalla making early inroads before spinner Siddharth Desai took charge in the second innings, claiming five wickets to derail Odisha’s batting.

Harshal Patel’s return to his home state after a 14-year stint with Haryana has also begun on a positive note, with the experienced pacer chipping in with three wickets.

Bengal, meanwhile, crushed Delhi by nine wickets with both their batting and bowling units firing in unison.

Veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami, who was once again overlooked for the New Zealand series, continued to press his case for a national comeback with a five-wicket match haul to lead the bowling.

Bengal’s batting was equally impressive, with No. 3 Sudip Gharami scoring a century and wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek Porel, who is out on bail in a rape case, also reaching three figures in an emotional knock.

In Group A, Uttar Pradesh will take on Goa after making a commanding start to their Elite campaign, thrashing Bihar by an innings and 267 runs.

Rinku Singh struck a century, while opener Madhav Kaushik made 150 as Uttar Pradesh showcased their batting depth in a dominant performance.

Goa, on the other hand, will be looking to recover from an innings-and-135-run defeat against Baroda in their opening fixture.

In the Plate Group, veteran domestic cricketer Neelam Obi will lead Arunachal Pradesh against Sikkim as the side looks to resume its campaign following a forfeit in the opening round amid an administrative crisis in the state cricket association.

Arunachal Pradesh had conceded their opening match against Nagaland last week as a dispute between rival factions of the Arunachal Cricket Association remained unresolved. The matter is pending before the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court.