Lucknow’s Ekana Cricket Stadium witnessed a dramatic shift in the Ranji Trophy clash between Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand as the home team made a last-minute change to their playing XI. Left-arm spinner Shivam Sharma stepped in for all-rounder Prashant Veer, who suffered a shoulder injury during fielding just before lunch on the opening day.
This marks the second instance of the ‘Serious Injury Replacement’ rule being invoked in the current domestic season, a provision introduced to keep matches competitive. The rule first made waves in the Duleep Trophy when Maharashtra’s Saurabh Navale replaced Saurashtra’s Harvik Desai. In October, Bengal’s Kazi Junaid Saifi became the pioneer in Ranji by substituting for injured opener Sudip Chatterjee against Gujarat at Eden Gardens.
Sharma wasted no time making his mark, delivering 18.5 overs and claiming two crucial wickets, including that of Jharkhand’s centurion wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra. His figures read 2/66, providing UP with much-needed breakthroughs.
Prashant Veer, recently bought by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping 14.2 crore rupees in the IPL auction, now faces a potential three-week layoff. This injury raises concerns for the five-time IPL champions, with IPL 2026 set to kick off on March 26.
At the end of the second day’s play, UP were struggling at 32/3 in their first innings, chasing down Jharkhand’s declaration at 561/6. Shandeep Singh’s 139 and Kushagra’s 102 laid a solid foundation for the visitors. Both teams are desperate for points to stay in the knockout race, making this Group C Elite encounter pivotal.