The Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha will miss the Ranji match against Punjab to be played from November 10-13 here as he would be playing for the Board President XI against Sri Lanka. However, VVS Laxman, having recovered from a back strain that forced him to sit out against Himachal Pradesh, will lead the Hyderabad challenge against Punjab. Laxman said, "It's lovely to come back and play for Hyderabad. I cherish every knock that I play for my state team. I don't lose an opportunity to turn out for Hyderabad."

With rain hampering the match preparations in Mohali, Hyderabad captain seemed confident, "Hyderabad is a well-balanced side, with talented batsmen as well as bowlers, though we will miss Pragyan Ojha's services. His absence will pave way for young Lalit Mohan who has done well for Hyderabad Under-22 team. Moreover, with the ICL players' comeback the team has certainly improved."

The Hyderabad and Himachal Pradesh match ended in a draw. Meanwhile, Punjab who put up a brave effort against Ranji champions Mumbai in their last outing will have home advantage. The Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh Senior said, "We have derived lot of positives from the last game, meanwhile we have worked upon our shortcomings. We would like to make final selection seeing the wicket before the toss.

I hope we get a good game on the cards and rain doesn't play a spoilsport."

Punjab staged a brilliant comeback against Mumbai and denied them a win.

Teams:
Hyderabad:T Suman, VVS Laxman, A Rayudu, SA Pai, AS Yadav, Abhinav Kumar, SA Quadri, MP Arjun, A Absolem and AD Yadav.

... contd.