Andre Siddarth appointed Tamil Nadu vice-captain for Ranji Trophy - The HinduUpdated - September 21, 2026 10:13 pm IST - ChennaiAndre is set to play his third season. | Photo Credit: K. Murali KumarR. Sai Kishore will lead Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season that begins next month. The TNCA senior selection committee has picked a 16-member squad for the opening fixture against Rajasthan, to be played in Jaipur from October 11 to 14.Alongside the regulars, left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram returns after missing out last year due to injury. The squad features promising pacers R.D. Pranav Ragavendra and D. Deepesh. The youngsters are known for their ability to bowl at a brisk pace, something TN has not had in a while. While Pranav made his debut in the 2024-25 season, Deepesh has received his maiden call-up.“We got good feedback about Pranav during the recent India under-19 tour to Sri Lanka. These two are the future, and we want to allow them to mature. In three years, they will be the backbone of our attack,” said Sunil Subramanian, chairman of the selection committee.Meanwhile, C. Andre Siddarth, who will play in his third season, has been named vice-captain. The 20-year-old was TN’s third-highest run-scorer (409 runs) last term. “He led the side well in the intra-squad game, and we are looking at grooming him for the future,” Sunil added.On promising opener B. Sachin not making the cut, Sunil said that with S.R. Athish being the back-up wicketkeeper and G. Ajitesh doing well in the practice match, he had to miss out.The squad: R. Sai Kishore (Capt.), C. Andre Siddarth (Vice-capt.), G. Ajitesh (wk), S. Ajith Ram, S.R. Athish, D. Deepesh, G. Govinth, J. Hemchudeshan, B. Indrajith, N. Jagadeesan, Nidhish S. Rajagopal, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, R.D. Pranav Ragavendra, P. Saravana Kumar, R. Sonu Yadav, R. Vimal Khumar.Standby/development squad: B. Aaditya, A. Esakkimuthu, Manav Parakh, S. Radhakrishnan, B. Sachin.Published - September 21, 2026 10:12 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }