Bengal T20 Challenge has come a bit late in the Indian domestic local tournaments but has come a good. In the second season of the tournament, CAB has tried to mix the district talents with Bengal probables. And, they have been quite successful till now. Shakir Habib Gandhi, an under-23 wicket-keeper batsman is definite proof of that.

Though Gandhi had a good season with Tapan Memorial in last year's Bengal T20 Challenge, he did not look at his best in the tournament.

Read Also: Bengal T20 Challenge 2021: 20 cricketers to keep an eye on

This time he has his eyes set on bigger roles. Surely, Durgapur Dazzlers is providing him with some opportunities. In the match against Kolkata Heroes, Durgapur was looking the favourites to win. However, in a rain hindered match which was restricted to 11 overs a side, Durgapur fell apart for just 74 while chasing only 75.

Habib Gandhi was the highest scorer for Durgapuer Dazzlers scoring 25 off 14 balls. Though he was unlucky to get run out by Suvankar Ball in the last ball of the inning.

As the game went on to super over after a thrilling tie, Durgapur's captain Avishek Raman decided to go with Gandhi as looked by far the best batter in the team. With already a set eye in the crease, this was the opportunity for him to be the hero. And boy did he nailed the opportunity.

Habib Gandhi's eyes lit up when he saw left-arm spinner, Ramesh Prasad, with the ball in hand. Gandhi hawked Prasad for 2 fours and 2 sixes to take 22 runs from the super over to make it next to impossible for Kolkata to win. In reply, Kolkata Heroes could only manage four runs as Sandipan Das proved to be a hard bowler to score off.

Final Score:

Kolkata Heroes 73/8 (11) , Durgapur Dazzlers 74/10 (11).

Super Over - Durgapur Dazzlers 24, Kolkata Heroes 4.

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Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has been named in the Bengal squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. Shami, who played his first match in 360 days in the Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh, will boost Bengal's chances in the tournament.

Sudip Kumar Gharami, who was Bengal's captain in the white-ball format last season, has been named as the captain of the squad for this season as well. 

In the 20-men squad, Bengal has named three wicket-keepers for the tournament. Abishek Porel, who recently toured Australia for the India-A team, will continue as the main man behind the stumps. Meantime, Shakir Habib Gandhi and Agniv Pan will be the other keeper-batters of the team. Interestingly, all three wicket-keepers of the squad are left-handed batters, giving coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla a few options to play with in the batting order.

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Sudip Chatterjee, who came back from Tripura to rejoin his home state, will continue as one of the top-order batters for Bengal. The left-handed batter has done well in the Ranji Trophy this season and will be a key player for Bengal in the white-ball format as well. Ranjot Singh Khaira and Sudip Gharami will be the top-order batters for them this time.

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Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, one of the best white-ball finishers for Bengal, along with all-rounders Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Writtick Chatterjee and Saksham Chaudhary will be key clog for Laxmi Ratan Shukla and team management. Ritwick and Shaksham will be the pace bowling all-rounders of the team, while Karan, Writtick and Shahbaz will be the spinner all-rounders.

In the absence of Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep, Ishan Porel, Mohammed Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh and Kanishk Seth will share the load of bowling those crucial overs along with new names like Soummyadip Mandal. The inclusion of U-23 captain Prayas Ray Barman means there will be enough variations while defending totals as well.

Bengal is placed in Group A alongside Punjab, Hyderabad, Mizoram, MP, Meghalaya, Bihar, and Rajasthan. 

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Bengal squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024

Sudip Kr Gharami (captain), Mohammad Shami, Abishek Porel (WK), Sudip Chatterjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, Shakir Habib Gandhi (WK), Ranjot Singh Khaira, Prayas Ray Barman, Agniv Pan (WK), Pradipta Pramanik, Saksham Chaudhary, Ishan Porel, Md Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh, Kanishk Seth, Soummyadip Mandal.

Bengal's schedule in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024

• 23 November' 24 - Bengal vs Punjab - Rajkot - 4.30 pm
• 25 November 2024 - Bengal vs Hyderabad - Rajkot - 4.30 pm
• 27 November 2024 - Bengal vs Mizoram - Saurashtra - 9 am  
• 29 November 2024 - Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh - Saurashtra - 1.30 pm
• 1 December 2024 - Bengal vs Meghalaya - Rajkot - 11 am
• 3 December 2024 - Bengal vs Bihar - Saurashtra - 9 am 
• 5 December 2024 - Bengal vs Rajasthan - Rajkot - 11 am

Bengal defeated Himachal Pradesh by 21 runs in the second semi-finals of the Senior Women's T20 Trophy 2024 on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Bengal all-rounder Mita Paul was adjudged player of the match for her 1 wicket and 29 runs with the bat.

Batting first, Bengal struggled early, losing Dhara Gujjar on duck in the first over. But, Richa Ghosh, the Indian wicket-keeper batter promoted as the opener, made sure she built a partnership with vice-captain Tanushree Sarkar for the second wicket.

Richa departed after adding 31 from 28 balls but Tanushree battled in the middle to build another partnership for Bengal, this time with Mita Paul. Tanushree, who made her return to the Bengal team after representing Railways last few years, perished after scoring a run-a-ball 36.

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Mita Paul tried to take the inning deep but lost her wicket after scoring 30-ball 29. But, it was youngster Sasthi Mondal, whose 11 from 5 balls gave Bengal the finish they were looking for. Bengal finished their first inning on 134/6, giving Himachal a tough task to chase down the total under the lights at Wankhede. 

With a batting lineup consisting of international players like captain Sushma Verma and Harleen Deol, Himachal looked like the team which can chase down Bengal's total. However, Titas Sadhu struck early for Bengal as she removed Sushma Verma in the fourth over. Off-spinner Sushmita Ganguly then clean bowled Nikita Chauhan, to hand Bengal the momentum. 

Read Also | "Accuracy, planning and mental strength - Shiv Sagar Singh's mantra to make Bengal women's best in the country" | Senior Women's T20 Trophy

Though Himachal were trying to build a partnership and take the game deep, Bengal captain Saika Ishaque dismissed Sonal Thakur and Monika Devi in the same over to give Bengal the advantage. Despite a valiant effort from S M Singh (32 from 22 balls), Himachal fell short of the total by 21 runs. Saika Ishaque and Titas Sadhu took two wickets each for Bengal.

In the other semi-final, Mumbai defeated Uttarakhand by 31 runs to enter the final. Bengal and Mumbai will face each other in the final on 12th November at Wankhede Stadium from 4.30 pm IST.

"Whenever in doubt, remember why you started," this is a motivational quote that athletes often use whenever they face some unwanted trouble in their career. Ishan Porel, once touted as the "one of the best in domestic cricket" by none other than Rahul Dravid, had somehow lost his way after a stunning start to his career.

An injury during the Bengal Pro T20 League 2024, had ruled to him out of the first two games of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. In fact, he was not even in the preminilinary Bengal squad for the season as well. 

But, he is BACK! With a stunning 6 wicket spell against Kerala in Ranji Trophy 2024-25, the tall pacer has announced his his return to first-class cricket. Ishan was nearly out of the game for four months and this tough period has made him rethink why he started playing this game. 

Just like any other kid around his place, Ishan used to play cricket because it was fun for him. It brought him happiness and joy. Many years later, after sustaining a few injuries and rough patch, the 26 year-old Bengal pacer wants to play cricket to have fun and enjoy every bit of it; the success, long spells, appeals, outs and denied decisions. 

After his return to first-class cricket, Sportz Point tried to get into his head and soul via an exclusive interview with the pacer. 

Q: First of all, congratulations on the Player of the Match performance against Kerala in your comeback match. You played after a long time. Did anything feel different?

Ishan: "It felt like a debut. A different feeling altogether. Getting out of the squad, due to injuries or any other thing, was something new for me. But, this has helped me to have a different perspective on the game. Ups and downs are just part and parcel of life. Now I feel there are lots of other things other than cricket.

Now, I am playing cricket to enjoy the game that I love, like I used to do as a kid. Even in this game, just like my debut, I wanted to enjoy the game and have fun. I feel this is the way to go for me now."

Q: For any athlete, this period of uncertainty, rehab, and staying away from the game is very tough. Who were the people who kept you going during this period?

Ishan: "During the Bengal Pro T20 League, I got injured. It was first a plantar fasciitis. But then I got injured in the ankle. You can never tell when you will get injured. Sports science does not work like that. Truly speaking, psychologically I was very down during this time. I did not know what to do.

My parents were there with me like always. Bibhas (Das) sir was there as well. From everyone in the Bengal team, including trainers, doctors, Laxmi (Ratan Shukla) da, all motivated and took care of me so that I could make this comeback."

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Q: Generally, we see some changes in the bowling action or in general whenever a bowler comes back from an injury. Is there anything that you changed in your bowling action after the injury?

Ishan: "No, I did not have to make any changes to my bowling action. But, I know that in the longer process, I will have to keep doing certain exercises so that I give myself the full chance of not getting injured anymore. I had bowled a lot before playing this match. Nearly about 100-120 overs.

"I was bowling at my full rhythm nearly from the last 30-35 days. Laxmi (Ratan Shukla) da even made me bowl 8-9 over spells in the practice. So, the body never felt anything new. Mentally, I just wanted to enjoy cricket and not put any pressure on myself."

Q: Many of the players who were with you during your U19 days have somehow gone ahead in the competition now. Does that somehow make you feel sad or bother you, knowing that you have fallen behind a bit?

Ishan: "No, it does not bother me at all. Everyone has their own perspective on life. Everyone has their own journey. Yes, everyone has one dream of playing for India. I know that if I do all the things correctly and follow the process, I will reach where I was and surpass that as well. So, I just try to win matches for my team and keep the intensity high while bowling."

Q: Bengal has two important away games against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh before we move to the white-ball format. How are you looking at those away games?

Ishan: "Every Ranji Trophy game is important. Even when we played the final last time, we were not in a great state after a few games, and then we came back with some wins. So, you have to take every game as the most important one. We have the squad to beat anyone."

Q: Last time when Bengal faced Karnataka at Eden Gardens in the 2020 semi-final, you took 5 wickets in the first innings and had bamboozled the batting order. Will that success go through your mind when you face them this season?

Ishan: "Four years is a long time. The past is past. Yes, when you do well against an opposition, it makes you feel good. But, every match is a new beginning for every cricketer. At this moment, I just want to enjoy my game and give my all for my team."

Bengal's next two Ranji Trophy matches

• 6-9 November, 2024 | vs Karantaka, in Bengaluru
• 13-16 November, 2024 | vs MP, in Indore

Hello and welcome to Sportz Point's coverage of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. From today we will cover the Bengal vs Kerala match at the Jadavpur Second Campus Ground in Salt Lake, Kolkata.

Bengal are currently at the number three position in Elite Grop C with four points in two matches and will have to go for outright wins to stay in contention to qualify for the next round. 

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Bengal will miss their star opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, wicket-keeper batter Abishek Porel and pacer Mukesh Kumar who have flown away to Australia for India A series against Australia A.

Stay tuned as we bring you all the updates of the match for you.

Bengal U-19 openers Vishal Bhati and Ankit Chatterjee powered them into the final of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2024 as they defeated Chhattisgarh by 131 runs. This is the first time since 2013 that Bengal had qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament and they made it memorable by entering the final as well. Bhati, who scored 111 in 117 balls and also took 22/3 with the ball in hand, was declared the player of the match.

Bengal had defeated a strong Maharsathra in the quarter-finals by 96 runs and Vishal Bhati was instrumental for Bengal with a 23/4 spell with the ball in hand. 

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In the semi-final, opener Ankit Chatterjee supported Bhati really well and it was their 190-run opening partnership that laid the cornerstone for Bengal's success. After Ankit's dismissal on 92 from 102 balls, Bhati was also dismissed 19 runs later after a stunning 111 from 117 balls. Bhati's inning included 8 fours and 5 sixes while Ankit hit 12 boundaries and one six.

Though Bengal collapsed like a house of cards after that, it was Agniswar Das, who played a quick knock of 42 from 33 balls to give them the momentum to finish on 285/8 in 50 overs.

Read Also | Exclusive: Inspired by Easwaran's work ethic, a more mature Abishek Porel wants to score big hundreds for Bengal in Ranji Trophy 2024-25

Bengal opening ball bowlers Debangshu Pakhira and Yudhajit Guha struck early as Chhattisgarh lost two wickets within the first 7 runs. But, though they tried to build up a partnership with Alok Kumar Gupta and Sahil Shariff, the required run rate kept on going out of their reach.

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It was Ashutosh Kumar and Vishal Bhait who tore apart the Chhattisgarh middle order with their incredible discipline. Ashutosh finished with 30/4 while Vishal finished with 22/3 as Chattishgarh were bundled out for 154.

"It was entirely a team effort. Every member stepped up when it was needed most. I am happy with the victory. Vishal played brilliantly, and Ankit and Ashutosh were superb. The way the team handled the pressure on a crucial semifinal match was outstanding," Bengal U-19 head coach Saurasish Lahiri said via a press release. 

Bengal will now face Gujarat in the final on Sunday in Rajkot.

Scores

Bengal

Chhattisgarh Batting