The first two quarter-finals of the tournament will be played on January 11. The tournament also holds importance, as the Indian squad for the upcoming England series is to be announced.

KL Rahul has been given time off, while Washington Sundar could play the semi-finals if Tamil Nadu get there | ESPN.com

After an arduous series, Rahul was supposed to join the Karnataka team for the remaining rounds of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, as the team has reached the knockouts of the 50-over domestic tournament. But the wicketkeeper-batter has opted out of the tournament, requesting a break from the intense cricketing schedule and to reduce the workload.

Star Indian top-order batter KL Rahul has opted out of the 2024/25 Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout stage. Rahul played a lot of cricket in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia Down Under.

KL Rahul, who played all the five Test matches against the Aussies, has requested for a break and will skip the Hazare knockouts

KL Rahul will be unavailable for Karnataka for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, following the five-Test series against Australia.

With the England series starting on January 22, KL Rahul can make his return with the white-ball series against Three-Lions.