Sudip Chatterjee to lead Bengal in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Left-handed batsman Sudip Chatterjee will lead Bengal in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scheduled to commence on November 4. Sudip has been in scintillating form and piled up 478 runs in the recently concluded Bengal T20 Challenge.

India international Wriddhiman Saha has been named as the wicket-keeper while Shakir Habib Gandhi has been picked as the back-up keeper. Former India U-19 cricketer Shreevats Goswami, who warmed the benches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021, couldn't find a place in the 20-member squad.

Ishan Porel, who made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings, will lead the pace attack alongside Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed is expected to lead the spin department alongside Writtick Chatterjee and Pradipta Pramanik.

Squad: Sudip Chatterjee (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Abhisek Das, Kaif Ahmad, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Ranjot Singh Khaira, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Suvankar Bal, Karan Lal, Shahbaz Ahmad, Writtick Chatterjee, Pradipta Pramanik, Sujit Kr Yadav, Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Alok Pratap Singh, Md Kaif, Sayan Ghosh

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"We had good preparation in Vijaywada" - Sudip Chatterjee

Bengal played a couple of practice games to prepare for the upcoming season. Sudip Chatterjee reckoned the team looked in good rhythm and played as a unit. Speaking to Sportstar, the southpaw said:

"We had good preparation games in Vijayawada. We played as an unit. Next, Himachal is coming here for four practice games. These are important games to fine-tune our skills for the main tournament."

Sudip also believes young players plying their trade in the IPL will benefit the side.

"They will return to domestic cricket with a lot of confidence. The fact that some of our players have spent time with Virat Kohli will be of great help. Saha's presence is a big boost to the side. His inputs will be handy," Sudip Chatterjee concluded.

Bengal open their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign against Chattisgarh.