Bengal kicked off their Ranji Trophy Group C campaign with a strong nine-wicket win over Delhi, sealing the match on the final day by restricting Delhi to just 277 runs in their second innings. Chasing a target of 89 runs, Bengal made quick work of it, finishing at 89 for one.
Starting the day at 101 for three, Delhi struggled to build on their score, ultimately managing only 277 runs in 106.2 overs. Captain Ayush Badoni was the standout performer for Delhi, scoring 85 runs off 134 balls, with ten boundaries. Wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat also contributed with a solid 39 runs from 76 balls.
In the first innings, Bengal had set a strong foundation by scoring 429 in response to Delhi’s 240. Their bowlers did well to limit Delhi’s recovery, leaving them with a manageable target to chase.
Delhi found themselves in trouble early, stumbling to 59 for three. However, Badoni and Rawat joined forces to stabilize the innings. Aamir Gani broke their partnership by taking out Rawat, while Sumanta Gupta dismissed Yash Dhull for 22. Even as wickets fell around him, Badoni fought on until he was caught by Abhimanyu Easwaran off Pradipta Pramanik, ending Delhi’s hopes at 213 for six. Quick wickets followed for Delhi, diminishing any chance of a strong fightback.
Divij Mehra managed a quick 21 runs, and Navdeep Saini remained unbeaten with 20, but Delhi was eventually bowled out. Pramanik led Bengal’s bowling attack with three wickets, while Gani and Gupta took two wickets each and Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, and Mukesh Kumar added to the tally with one wicket each.
In their chase, Bengal didn’t break a sweat, reaching 89 runs in just 15.3 overs. Ankur Paul set the tone with a brisk 38 off 41 balls, before being dismissed. Abhimanyu Easwaran stayed not out on 34, while Sudip Gharami, who had scored a century in Bengal’s first innings, finished the match with an unbeaten 16 runs from 12 balls.
In other Group C matches, Gujarat enjoyed a spectacular start as they defeated Odisha by 10 wickets in Ahmedabad, grabbing a bonus point. Odisha resumed their second innings at 119 for four but fell to left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai, who took five wickets for just 36 runs. They were all out for 161, leaving Gujarat a mere 47 runs to chase, which they achieved in just 9.3 overs without losing a wicket.
Sandeep Pattnaik was Odisha’s top scorer with 65 runs, while Ninad Rathva added 53. Despite their efforts, the rest of the batting lineup struggled against Desai, who recorded his 16th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Arzan Nagwaswalla also contributed significantly with six wickets in the match.
In another match, Jharkhand and Kerala played to a draw in Jamshedpur, with Jharkhand awarded three points for taking the first-innings lead. Jharkhand’s all-rounder Utkarsh Singh was named Player of the Match for his impressive performance, scoring 71 runs and taking five wickets.
Lastly, Maharashtra claimed a 127-run victory over Services in Delhi. On the final day, Vicky Ostwal was pivotal, taking five wickets for 50 runs. He was well supported by Siddhesh Veer and Hitesh Walunj, who took three and two wickets respectively, as Services were bowled out for just 120 runs in their second innings, chasing a target of 248 runs.
