For the Ranji Trophy 2026–2027 season, Bihar has named Ashok Kumar as assistant coach and Ashutosh Aman as head coach. The former coaching duo of Vinayak Samant and Kumar Mridul is replaced by the new pair. Himanshu Singh is Sakibul Gani’s deputy, and Sakibul Gani has been officially named captain of the Bihar senior men’s team.
Bihar has named Ashok Kumar as assistant coach and Ashutosh Aman as head coach
Selectors Harvinder Singh, S Sharath, and Amitabh Vijayvargiya, appointed by the BCCI, chose the Bihar senior men’s team. The appointments follow the Supreme Court’s September 16, 2026, appointment of Ashwani Kumar Singh, a former Patna High Court judge, as administrator for Bihar cricket, which established the administrative parameters for the current selection procedure.
For the forthcoming season, Bihar is assigned to the Elite Group. On October 11 at the Rajgir International Cricket Stadium, they will play their first game against Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir is the reigning champion going into the Ranji Trophy 2026–27 season, which runs from October 11, 2026, to March 3, 2027.
Several of the 17 players on the team have both domestic and franchise experience. The team’s Sakib Hussain had a successful IPL 2026 season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, taking 15 wickets at an average of 26.46 in 11 games. For the first two rounds, he gives Bihar’s attack a tried-and-true bowling option.
Bipin Kumar Saurabh and Shraman Nigrodh, the team’s two wicketkeepers, allow for flexibility in their pairing. Alongside captain Sakibul Gani, Himanshu Singh, who has been named vice-captain, is one of the group’s more seasoned members. Ayush Loharuka, Mangal Maharour, Naman Gaurav, Piyush Singh, Akash Raj, Prithvi Raj, Khalid Alam, Suraj Kumar Kashyap, Mohammad Izhar, Shabbir Khan, Raghavendra Singh, and Amod Yadav are among the other players in the team.
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Notably, Bihar’s 17-man squad for the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy 2026–2027 does not include Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was a member of India’s T20I squads for the West Indies series and the New Zealand tour.
What is Bihar’s next confirmed Ranji Trophy 2026–27 match? On October 11 at the Rajgir International Cricket Stadium, Bihar will play Uttar Pradesh. In addition to being Bihar’s first game in the Elite Group, it will be Sakibul Gani’s first game as captain this season and Ashutosh Aman’s first in his new position as head coach.
Bihar has a long campaign ahead of it as the Ranji Trophy 2026–27 season ends on March 3, 2027. Bihar will face fierce competition throughout the season due to the Elite Group format, with Jammu and Kashmir, the reigning champions, also included in the larger field. Bihar’s new coaching structure and squad composition will be put to the test right away.
Bihar squad for the Ranji Trophy
Sakibul Gani (capt), Ayush Loharuka, Mangal Maharour, Naman Gaurav, Piyush Singh, Bipin Kumar Saurabh (wk), Shraman Nigrodh (wicketkeeper), Akash Raj, Prithvi Raj, Himanshu Singh (vice-capt), Khalid Alam, Suraj Kumar Kashyap, Sakib Hussain, Mohammad Izhar, Shabbir Khan, Raghavendra Singh, Amod Yadav
Standbys: Nawaz Khan, Malay Raj, Danish Alam, Tarun Kumar Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Prashant Kumar Singh
