4 Players to watch out for in the Ranji Trophy game between Bengal and Punjab

Bengal has made an astonishing comeback to defeat Delhi by seven wickets after they successfully chased down the target of 322 in the last Ranji game. This win has kept Bengal in the fray for a place in the knockout stages of the tournament. They are currently in the 3rd position with 22 points two points behind the league leaders Madhya Pradesh.

Punjab, on the other hand, thrashed Kerala by 10 wickets to stay in contention for a place in the next round. Currently, Punjab is on the 5th spot with 20 points behind Kerala.

Both the teams will be looking to get an outright win so as to qualify for the next round. This article talks about the four players who will have a bigger impact in the upcoming fixture.

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#1 Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has had a blistering season so far as he has scored over 990 runs in eight first-class games with three centuries and six fifties. What is more remarkable is his strike rate of 77.28. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, Gill has 629 runs from just four games. He currently averages 125.80 with two centuries and three fifties.

His performance in the game against Hyderabad left everyone awestruck as he smashed a quickfire 148 off 154 balls to try and snatch an unimaginable victory for Punjab. The right-hand batsman has made his presence felt with his consistent performances in the domestic circuit.

He is currently the leading run scorer for Punjab after playing only four games. He missed out on a few games as he featured in the India A team which toured New Zealand. Gill scored an unbeaten 69 off 73 balls in the previous game against Kerala as Punjab successfully chased down the target of 128 to win by 10 wickets.

The Bengal fans at the Eden will be hoping that their favorite Knight from KKR misfires against their team.

#2 Abhimanyu Easwaran

Easwaran shared an unbeaten partnership of 202 for the 4th wicket with Anustup Majumdar to take Bengal to a 7-wicket win in a Ranji game

Abhimanyu Easwaran has become the talk of the town with his consistent performances for the Bengal Team. The 23-year-old already has over 3000 runs in the First-Class Cricket at an impressive average of 47.19.

His performances in the domestic circuit earned him a place in India A's tour of New Zealand. After returning from the tour of New Zealand, he smashed his career-best score of 186 against Hyderabad to take Bengal to a total of 336 in the first innings. This helped Bengal take three points from the game as they bowled out Hyderabad for 312 to take the first-innings lead.

Easwaran is currently the leading run scorer for Bengal with 653 runs in five games at an average of 81.62. He already has two 180+ scores in the last three games for Bengal. Easwaran's unbeaten 183 in the last game against Delhi kept Bengal in contention for a place in the knock out stages of the tournament. His innings of 183 showed his composure and temperament as he hung on the pitch with wickets falling around him to guide Bengal to a seven-wicket win.

#3 Mayank Markande

Markande is currently the leading wicket-taker for Punjab in the ongoing Ranji Trophy

Markande impressed everyone with his impressive performance in the IPL last year. The leg-spinner was one of the emerging stars of the tournament. He picked 15 wickets in his debut season for the Mumbai Indians.

Markande was retained by the Mumbai Indians for the 2019 edition of the IPL due to his impressive show in the previous edition. After his show in the IPL, Maryanke made a name for himself in the domestic circuit finding a place in the Punjab team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

After his consistent performances, Markande was named in the Indian squad for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2018 where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

Markande is currently the leading wicket-taker for Punjab with 25 wickets in five games with an average of 19.92. He has picked up six wickets in the previous game against Kerala with four wickets coming in the 2nd innings to bowl Kerala out for 223. The Punjab bowler might get assistance from the Eden pitch which has a lot to offer for the spinners.

#4 Ashok Dinda

Dinda picked up 5 for 88 in the 2nd innings against Delhi

The veteran bowler from Bengal, who made his debut for the Indian side in 2009, has been missing from the International arena for more than a decade years. The right-arm bowler from Kolkata has played over 100 First-class games and picked up 415 wickets.

Dinda is currently the leading wicket-taker for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy with 26 wickets in seven games - 13 of those 26 wickets have come in the previous two games against Delhi and Andhra. His best figures of 9/150 in the ongoing tournament came in the previous game against Delhi. He currently averages 23.30 in the tournament.

The veteran pacer kept Bengal in the game against Delhi as he picked up four wickets in the first innings and followed it up with a five-for in the second innings to bundle out Delhi for 301.