This new cricket stadium in Kerala will host its inaugural match tomorrow; national players will participate

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala will play their third match of the Ranji Trophy season tomorrow, facing the strong Karnataka side. The match will be held at the KCA Stadium in Manglapuram, Thiruvananthapuram. This will be the first-ever first-class match hosted at this venue, adding a special touch to the Kerala-Karnataka clash.

Kerala had conceded first-innings leads to Maharashtra and Punjab in their first two matches. Therefore, the team will be aiming for a much-improved performance against Karnataka. So far, Kerala has earned only two points from two games.

The squad has undergone a few changes ahead of the match against Karnataka. Salman Nizar, who was injured during the last match, and opener Vathsal Govind, who played against Punjab, have been left out. Since star batter Sanju Samson is currently on tour with the Indian team in Australia, he will not be available. Krishna Prasad and Vaishakh Chandran have been included as replacements.

Karnataka, led by former India player Mayank Agarwal, is a strong team featuring players like Karun Nair, Abhinav Manohar, and Shreyas Gopal. Karun Nair had scored an unbeaten 174 runs in the last match against Goa. Karnataka currently has four points from two matches.