Photo via The Hindu

Ranji Trophy: Bengal will strive to maintain winning run in its first match at the Eden

Top-ranked Bengal enters its upcoming Elite Group-C Ranji Trophy fixture against Maharashtra as the clear favorite following three consecutive outright victories, bringing an 18-point tally into the clash. The hosts return to their home ground for the initial appearance of the campaign, aiming to sustain their strong momentum and repel second-place Maharashtra, which has accumulated 12 points.

Key contributors such as Sudip Gharami, Abishek Porel, and centurion Shahbaz Ahmed bolster the batting lineup alongside captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ankur Paul, Sudip Chatterjee, and Sumanta Gupta.

Bengal is anticipated to deploy a balanced attack featuring three fast bowlers and a pair of spinners, spearheaded by veteran pace bowler Mohammed Shami alongside in-form slow bowlers Shahbaz and Pradipta Pramanik. Meanwhile, Maharashtra relies heavily on the batting efforts of Ankit Bawne, Digvijay Patil, and captain Prithvi Shaw, with support from half-centurions Harshad Kate and Saurabh Nawale, while bowlers Pradeep Dadhe, Rajyavardhan Hangrekar, Vicky Otswal, and Siddhesh Veer shoulder the visiting team's responsibilities ahead of a potential rain interruption.

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