Manish Pandey included in Karnataka probables for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
The veteran batter returns to the Karnataka list nearly two years after his last appearance for the state.
Manish Pandey has been named in the Karnataka probables for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The campaign begins on November 14 against Bengal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Key takeaways
- Manish Pandey is back in the Karnataka probables list after nearly two years.
- He was dropped from the Karnataka squad across formats in December 2024.
- He scored 291 runs in nine innings at a strike-rate of 177.44 in the 2026 Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.
- Karnataka will start its campaign against Bengal on November 14 at the Wankhede Stadium.
Manish Pandey has been included in the list of probables for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by Karnataka, The Hindu reported. The 37-year-old former captain returns to the state setup nearly two years after he last played for Karnataka. The campaign will commence on November 14 with a match against Bengal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Selection rationale
Pandey was eased out of the Karnataka squad across formats in December 2024, Sportstar reported. Since then, he has featured in just nine IPL matches for Kolkata Knight Riders across the 2025 and 2026 seasons. 44.
Amit Verma, chairman of the selection committee, told The Hindu: "Last year didn’t go well for us and we won just two matches. We felt we needed some experience and strength in batting.
" Verma added that Pandey’s lack of matches was not a major concern because he has been training and still practises. He has been with KKR for the last three years and will be motivated to do well ahead of the IPL auction in December.
Fitness and fielding
Pandey’s fitness and fielding ability are beyond dispute. In May, he pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at backward point to dismiss Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Tim David, an effort to which even Virat Kohli doffed his hat.
Past record
Pandey captained Karnataka when it won back-to-back Mushtaq Ali titles in 2018-19 and 2019-20. He also led the state when it finished runner-up to Tamil Nadu in 2021-22.
About the competition
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a domestic Twenty20 cricket championship in India organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The 2025-26 edition was the 18th edition of the tournament, took place from 26 November to 18 December 2025, featured all 38 teams from the Ranji Trophy, and was part of the 2025-26 Indian domestic cricket season announced by the BCCI in 2025.
Mumbai were the defending champions.
Player background
Manish Krishnanand Pandey is an Indian cricketer and a right-handed top-order batsman representing Karnataka in domestic cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.
He became the first Indian player to score a century in the IPL in the 2009 season, playing for his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
He was part of the Indian squad which won the 2018 Asia Cup and won the 2014 and 2024 IPL titles with KKR.
What happens next
Karnataka’s campaign will commence on November 14 against Bengal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Karnataka probables for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Player | Role |
|---|---|
Mayank Agarwal | Batter |
Karun Nair | Batter |
Manish Pandey | Batter |
R. Smaran | Player |
K.V. Aneesh | Player |
Rohan A. Patil | Player |
Macneil H. Noronha | Player |
Abhinav Manohar | Player |
Aneeshwar Gautam | Player |
S.J. Nikin Jose | Player |
Shreyas Gopal | Player |
Shikhar Shetty | Player |
Related on Apex Sports News
Sources
Topics
Spotted an error? Read our corrections policy or use the flag button above. Our editorial standards explain how we report.
Related stories
Discussion
Sign in or create a free account to join the discussion. Please follow our community guidelines.