Batter R. Samarth leaves Karnataka, set to play for Uttarakhand from 2024/25 domestic season

R. Samarth, one of Karnataka’s batting mainstays of the last decade, will be plying his trade for Uttarakhand from the upcoming domestic season.

The 31-year-old confirmed on Thursday that he had sought, and received, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Karnataka State Cricket Association for the move.

Samarth made his Karnataka debut in the 2013-14 season when the side won the first of its back-to-back trebles (Ranji, Vijay Hazare, and Irani Trophies in the same year) and played a part in the repeat act next campaign.

The genial right-hander developed into one of the most consistent batters but numbers in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy didn’t match up to his standards as he totalled just 341 runs in Karnataka’s quarterfinal finish.

Samarth follows in the footsteps of K.V. Siddharth, Shreyas Gopal and Karun Nair to move out of the State in the recent past.

In fact, in the 2023-24 season, the team management had started ushering in large-scale changes, looking past senior pros like offie K. Gowtham and handing out debuts to as many as seven cricketers, including five from the age-group squads.

The senior squad drew heavily from the bunch that went on to annex its maiden Cooch Behar (U-19) and Col. CK Nayudu (U-23) trophies in 2023-24. Samarth’s move means Karnataka will dip again into the pool.