Bengal announce 19-member squad for Ranji Trophy semi-final against Madhya Pradesh; Karan Lal included

Bengal have named a large 19-member squad for their upcoming Ranji Trophy semi-final clash against Madhya Pradesh, which will be played at the Holkar Stadium, starting on Wednesday, February 8.

The selection committee has included opener Karan Lal in the squad after Kazi Junaid Saifi failed to make a mark in the quarter-finals against Jharkhand at Eden Gardens. The southpaw could only muster five runs across both innings.

Manoj Tiwary and Co., who have reached three semi-finals in a row, have struggled with their opening pair this season and have tried several players alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran. Lal has played three games this season, accumulating only 36 runs in three innings at a paltry average of 12.

Other than this addition, the squad remains unchanged. The bowling unit will be led by Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep, while all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed will oversee the spin department. Pradipta Pramanick has also retained his place in the squad.

On the batting front, the onus will once again be on Easwaran and Sudip Gharami, Bengal's two best batters in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. While Easwaran has amassed 738 runs at an average of 92.25, Gharami has scored 636 runs, including two centuries and five fifties.

Skipper Tiwary has been short of runs this season and the semi-final clash against defending champions Madhya Pradesh presents him with the best opportunity as he eyes his maiden Ranji Trophy title.

Bengal squad for Ranji Trophy semi-final: Manoj Tiwary (captain), Abhimanyu Eswaran, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Gharami, Suvankar Bal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abishek Porel, Ishan Porel, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Pradipta Pramanik, Geet Puri, Pritam Chakraborty, Sumanta Gupta, Ankit Mishra, Akash Ghatak, Karan Lal, and Durgesh Dubey.

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What happened the last time Madhya Pradesh played against Bengal?

The last time both these teams met was during the semi-finals of the last Ranji Trophy campaign. Madhya Pradesh thrashed Bengal by 174 runs in Alur to progress through to the final and eventually lift the trophy.

Chasing 350 runs for the win, Bengal were all out for 175 runs, losing the match by a mammoth margin. Kumar Kartikeya was the pick of the bowlers for Madhya Pradesh, scalping eight wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings.

It is expected to be a cracker of a contest as both teams will be aiming for nothing less than a win.

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