Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021: Teams to enter quarter-finals
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group stages have ended yesterday with Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Hyderabad having booked their quarter-finals berth
It is the end of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group stages, and five teams from Elite Group A to E — Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Hyderabad — have booked their quarter-finals berth. Meanwhile, second-placed teams from these groups, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Himachal, Kerala, and Saurashtra have made it to the pre-quarters alongside plate toppers Vidarbha.
For Tamil Nadu, the big names stood up. Chasing 146 for victory, things looked a bit dicey for Tamil Nadu at 31/2. However, a brilliant third-wicket partnership of 105 runs between opener N Jagadeesan (67) and skipper Vijay Shankar (59*) ensured they emerged victoriously.
Kerala delivered when it mattered the most, beating Madhya Pradesh by eight wickets to finish second in Elite Group C. After Parth Sahani-led side scored an impressive 171/5 with the help of Rajat Patidar's 49-ball 77. Kerala's Sachin Baby (51*) and Sanju Samson (56*) smashed a fifty each to help the team to seal the contest.
Amongst the elite teams, Hyderabad has proved to be one of the best teams. They have secured five wins out of five after their 29-run win over Uttar Pradesh.
The teams from each Elite Group(A - E) to qualify for the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy quarter-finals :
Tamil Nadu - Elite Group A Bengal - Elite Group B Rajasthan - Elite Group C Gujarat - Elite Group D Hyderabad - Elite Group E
The teams from each Elite Group(A - E) to enter in the Pre-quarters of Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy :
Maharastra - Elite Group A Karnataka - Elite Group B Himachal Pradesh - Elite Group C Kerala - Elite Group D Saurashtra - Elite Group E
Punjab 145/6 in 20 overs (Gurkeerat 43*, Warrier 2/20) lost to Tamil Nadu 148/3 in 17.1 overs (Jagadeesan 67, Vijay 59*) Odisha 132/7 in 20 overs (Bhati 4/27, Sharma 2/19) lost to Pondicherry 136/4 in 19 overs (Dogra 54*, R Ragupathy 39).
Group B:
Karnataka 134/8 in 20 overs (Nair 44, Kumar 3/33, Pramanik 2/33) lost to Bengal 138/3 in 18 overs (Easwaran 51*, Shahbaz 34*).
Group C:
Himachal 148/7 in 20 overs (Dhawan 57, Chopra 35, C Stephen 4/11) beats Andhra 118 (Hebbar 43, Jaiswal 5/18, Dhawan 3/16).
Group D:
Madhya Pradesh 171/5 in 20 overs (Patidar 77, Akhil 2/35) lost to Kerala 172/2 in 18 overs (Baby 51*, Samson 56*)
IPL Facts: Who was hit the most sixes in IPL History? Top 10 list
There have been many great batsmen in the IPL who have hit a lot of sixes so far. There are some batsmen who are no longer a part of this league and some are playing in it. Let's talk about the top 10 batsmen who have hit the most sixes in IPL.
The 18th season of the IPL will begin from March 22 and once again a fierce battle between bat and ball will be witnessed in this league. Everyone's eyes will be on who hits the most sixes this season, but let us tell you about which batsman has hit the most sixes in the last 17 seasons of IPL so far.
There have been many great batsmen in the IPL who have hit a lot of sixes so far. There are some batsmen who are no longer a part of this league and some are playing in it and they can go higher in this list.
Let's talk about the top 10 batsmen who have hit the most sixes in IPL so far, which also includes many Indians.
Most Sixes in IPL | Top 10 List
10. Suresh Raina | 203
Mr. IPL, Suresh Raina grabs the tenth position in this elite list. The southpaw has 203 sixes in 200 IPL innings. He takes around 19.91 deliveries for every six.
He is only among ten batters to hit 200+ maximums in the league. Raina has accumulated 5528 runs at an average of 32.51 and a strike rate of 136.73. He also has 39 fifties and a century in the league.
9. Sanju Samson | 206
The captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sanju Samson is the ninth batter to find a spot in this list. He has 206 six in 163 IPL innings. On average, he hits a six every 15.43 balls in the league.
Overall, Samson has 4419 runs at an average of 30.68 and a strike rate of 138.96. He also has 25 fifties and three centuries. Samson will also step up to this list and add more to his tally in the upcoming edition.
8. Andre Russell | 209
Among the most fearsome batters in the history of the league, Andre Russell’s name is no surprise. Russell’s association with six-hitting is well known. He has amassed 209 maximums at an unbelievable 6.79 balls-per-maximum ratio.
The Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder has 2484 runs at an average of 29.22 and a strike rate of 174.92 in 105 IPL innings. He also has 11 fifties to his name.
Russell had even hit 11 sixes during 2018 in an innings against Chennai Super Kings.
7. Kieron Pollard | 223
Kieron Pollard, a powerhouse in the middle order for Mumbai Indians, comes seventh in this list with 223 sixes. The former West Indies all-rounder played several memorable knocks for the Mumbai Indians in the 189 matches that he played for them.
Pollard was known for depositing the ball back into the stands and did so quite frequently in the league. His ability to change the course of a game in a few overs has made him one of the most dangerous finishers in IPL history.
He has 3412 runs at an average of 28.67 and a strike rate of 147.32. Further, Pollard has also hit 16 fifties in the league.
6. David Warner | 236
David Warner has hit 236 sixes in his IPL career. The former Australia batter has played a total of 184 matches in IPL, featuring for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals.
Warner has a terrific record in the league and was known for hitting big shots throughout his successful career in the league. His aggressive start at the top often sets the tone for his team's innings.
Warner has scored 6565 runs at an average of 40.52 and a strike rate of 139.77 in 184 innings. He also has 62 boundaries and four maximums.
However, Warner went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega-auction.
5. AB de Villiers | 251
AB de Villiers finished his IPL career with 251 sixes and he is the fifth highest six-hitter in the T20 league. de Villiers retired from the T20 league after IPL 2021. He had a long stint with RCB.
AB started his IPL career with Delhi Capitals (then known as Delhi Daredevils). He joined RCB in the IPL 2011 mega-auction and was retained by them in 2014 and 2018. de Villiers never captained RCB.
Overall, the Proteas batter has 5162 runs at an average of 39.70 and a strike rate of 151.68. Further, he also has 40 fifties and three centuries.
MS Dhoni sits at the fourth spot in the list of batsmen with most sixes in IPL. The former Indian skipper has 252 sixes of 264 matches in this cash rich league.
Dhoni started his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings. He also played for Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL 2016 and 2017.
Overall, Dhoni has 5243 runs at an average of 39.12 and a 137.53 strike rate. Further, he also has 24 fifties in the league.
Dhoni will make his on-field return in IPL 2025. CSK retained Dhoni in the uncapped category for Rs 4 crore. He will continue to play under Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Dhoni captained CSK to five IPL title wins before stepping down.
3. Virat Kohli | 272
Rohit Sharma is followed by Virat Kohli. The IPL legend sits at the third spot with 272 sixes in 252 matches. One of Virat and Rohit can become the first Indian to hit 300 sixes in IPL.
Virat also holds the record for playing for the same franchise, RCB, in every IPL season and while doing so, he has scored more than 8000 runs at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 131.97. Further, he also has 55 boundaries and eight maximums. He is also the leading run-scorer in the league
Kohli started his career as a rookie and is now the biggest star in the T20 league. He will play under Rajat Patidar's captaincy in RCB for IPL 2025.
2. Rohit Sharma | 280
Indian team captain Rohit Sharma sits at the second spot in this list. The right-handed batsman has cleared the ropes 280 times in 257 matches. Rohit has been a regular in IPL since the league's inception.
Rohit started his IPL career with Deccan Chargers. He joined Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2011 mega-auction and has been with them since then.
Rohit captained MI to 5 IPL title wins. He now plays under Hardik Pandya's captaincy.
Rohit has also been a prolific run-scorer, with 6628 runs at an average of 29.72 and a strike rate of 131.14, including 43 half-centuries and two centuries.
1. Chris Gayle | 357
Chris Gayle tops the list of batsmen with most sixes in IPL history. The left-handed batsman finished his IPL career with 357 big hits at a sixes-per-match ratio of 2.53 in the league. No other batsman has managed to hit more than 300 sixes in this T20 league.
Gayle started his IPL career with Kolkata Knight Riders. After going unsold in the IPL 2011 mega-auction, Gayle joined RCB as a replacement player and had a memorable stint with them. He also played for Punjab Kings from IPL 2018 to 2021.
Overall, Gayle has scored 4965 runs at an average of 39.72 and a strike rate of 148.96, including 31 fifties and six centuries in IPL.
As we move towards the first fixture, between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, let’s take a moment to go back in time and see which batsmen have scored the most runs in IPL since 2018.
As we move towards the first fixture, between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, let’s take a moment to go back in time and see which batsmen have scored the most runs in IPL since 2018.
Most Runs in IPL (2018-2024)
8. Suryakumar Yadav | 2986 Runs
Suryakumar Yadav had his IPL debut in 2011 for MI. But he got his breakthrough in KKR under Gautam Gambhir but didn't perform up to that level. 2018 saw him return to the Mumbai Indians, where he made massive strides in his IPL career.
Surya has scored 2986 runs during this period in 84 games at an average of 35.55 and a strike rate of 148.71. He has two centuries and 23 half-centuries to his name. He struck 440 boundaries, including 331 fours and 109 sixes.
In 2023, he had his greatest IPL season, where he was appointed as the vice-captain of MI along with scoring 605 runs with a strike rate of 181.14 in 16 innings.
7. Sanju Samson | 2993 Runs
Rajasthan Royals' skipper and wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson has always been a player to rely on in the IPL. He has scored 2993 runs during the 2018-2024 season with two centuries and 18 half-centuries.
IPL 2024 was one of the best seasons for Samson with the bat as he amassed 531 runs at an impressive average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.46. He also led the team to the playoffs for the second time after taking over the reins in IPL 2021.
6. Jos Buttler | 3055 Runs
Jos Buttler comes sixth in the list scoring 3055 runs in 73 matches at an average of 41.85 and a strike rate of 147.80. He has seven centuries and 18 half-centuries to his name.
Buttler had an unforgettable 2022 season, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with 863 runs at an average of 57.53 and a blistering strike rate of 149.05.
The England star smashed four centuries and four half-centuries, playing a crucial role in Rajasthan Royals’ journey to the final. His ability to accelerate and play match-winning innings made him one of the standout performers of the season.
5. Shikhar Dhawan | 3208 Runs
Shikhar Dhawan is fifth on the list of most runs in IPL since 2018. He has been a consistent run-getter over this period, crossing the 400-run mark each season from 2018 to 2024.
Dhawan has 3208 runs in 83 games at an average of 38.65 and a strike rate of 133.56, including 2 hundred and 23 half-centuries, with the help of 367 fours and 82 sixes.
His best season came in 2020 when he made 618 runs with 2 hundred and 4 fifties.
4. Shubman Gill | 3216 Runs
Shubman Gill made his IPL debut in 2018 season and scored 3216 runs so far in 85 matches at an average of 37.84 and a strike rate of 135.70.
Gill was the leading run-scorer of IPL 2023, amassing 890 runs in 17 matches at an impressive average of 59.33. His strike rate of 157.80 included 3 centuries and 4 half-centuries, with a highest score of 129. He also smashed 85 fours and 33 sixes throughout the tournament.
Gill’s heroics helped Gujarat Titans reach the 2023 final, making him a player to watch for many seasons to come.
3. Faf du Plessis | 3276 Runs
Faf Du Plessis, who guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the playoffs last season, has the most runs in IPL during 2018-2024 period. He has scored 3276 runs in 84 matches at an average of 39.01 and a strike rate of 140.04.
He was also sensational with the bat as he scored 438 runs in 2022 season. It came after a brilliant run with the bat in 2023 when he scored over 700 runs for RCB.
Prior to his stint with Bangalore, Du Plessis enjoyed a highly successful tenure with the Chennai Super Kings, winning IPL titles in 2018 and 2021.
The Proteas batter boasts an impressive record in the overall tournament, scoring 4,571 runs in 145 matches, including 37 half-centuries.
Despite Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s struggles in recent seasons, Virat Kohli continued to shine with the bat in every season. He amassed 3586 runs since 2018 season at an average of 40.29 and a strike rate of 134.7, reminding everyone why he is one of the greatest batsmen in T20 cricket.
Kohli has four centuries and 25 half-centuries to his name. His IPL career has seen him hit 339 fours and 163 sixes during this period.
Kohli also scored the most runs in IPL in history with 8004 runs in 252 matches, including 8 centuries and 55 fifties.
1. KL Rahul | 3958 Runs
KL Rahul has hammered 3,958 runs in 79 matches since the start of IPL 2018. He has scored the most runs in IPL this period.
The tally includes four tons and 33 fifties. Rahul is the only batter to slam 3,000-plus IPL runs in this period. Shikhar Dhawan (3,208), the only other batter to score 2,500-plus since IPL 2018, follows Rahul on this tally.
The premier domestic competition named after the first Indian cricketer, Ranjitsinhji, who was also known as 'Ranji', was launched in 1934-35 featuring 15 teams in four zones in a knockout format and has since expanded to a 32-team tournament in the league and knockout format.
The first-ever edition was won by Bombay now known as Mumbai, who have also won the Ranji title the most. Record champions Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy 41 times so far. Mumbai has also reached the final 47 times.
Karnataka earlier played as Mysore is the second most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, having won the title 8 times and finished runners up 6 times followed by Delhi, who have won the title 7 times and finished as runners-up 8 times.
The Ranji Trophy 2024-25 has finally concluded with Vidarbha winning their third Ranji title defeating Kerala in the finals. Let's check out the last 10 winners of the Ranji title.
"There is nothing as sweet as comeback:" Sayan Ghosh wants to make Ranji Trophy return after white-ball success in 2024-25 season
Sayan Ghosh emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Bengal in both Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. The Bengal pacer now looking for his Ranji Trophy return.
Chakdaha, a very tiny town in the Nadia district of West Bengal, is known to the cricketing world for a very special player. It is Jhulan Goswami, who made Chakdaha famous with fiery spells all around the globe, wearing the Blue jersey of India.
When Jhulan was breaking records in women's cricket, another speedster from Chakdaha dreamt of breaking stumps and records too. Sayan Ghosh, known as Bengal's Malinga, saw ups and downs from the start of his cricketing career. But, like his swinging yorkers, Sayan never swayed away from his targets.
Ghosh last played a Ranji Trophy game way back in 2017. In 6 first-class games, he has two five-wicket hauls. Still, he was never called back to the Ranji Trophy, team until this season. The reason is his incredible comeback into the white ball side for Bengal.
Sayan Ghosh's incredible season in white-ball format
Sayan Ghosh celebrating a wicket in SMAT pre-quarters vs Chandigarh. Image | PTI
Sayan was always called the "White Ball" specialist due to his ability to hit yorkers and variations. However, with bowlers like Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Porel and Akash Deep doing well, he found himself out of the side in the last few seasons. But, his will to keep doing well at the club level, helped him make another comeback to the Bengal side.
This season, Sayan Ghosh was the highest wicket-taker for Bengal in both Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, he returned with 13 wickets from 7 games at an outstanding economy rate of 6.77.
Bengal wins the thriller against Chandigarh and marches forward to the semi finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024.
Former KKR bowler Sayan Ghosh was the star of the show as he picked up 4 wickets and defended 11 runs of the final over that helped Bengal come out on top. pic.twitter.com/ZdOl4soLSt
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the stats were even better as he capped off the season with 15 wickets from 7 games which included a five-wicket haul against Kerala. Post, his outstanding white-ball return, Sayan was included in the Ranji Trophy squad for the final two games of the season.
After his remarkable resurgence in domestic cricket, Sportz Point sat with the 32-year-old pacer to sense his thoughts.
Talking about his return to the Bengal team, Sayan started the conversation by saying, "It is always a pleasure to represent Bengal. And there is nothing as sweet as a comeback when you are down and about to lose. Performing well for the team feels great."
Ex-KKR pacer Sayan Ghosh in action for @Mohun_Bagan
Sayan feels, along with doing well for Mohun Bagan in the club format, the Bengal Pro T20 League has helped him be in the best form possible.
"I must say, performance in BPL gave me confidence," Sayan told Sportz Point.
"I didn’t take too much pressure for the whole season because I knew if I did well, I would play. I had belief in myself. Captain Sudip (Gharami), coaches Laxmi (Ratan Shukla) da and Maco (Shib Shankar Paul) da gave confidence. So, I didn’t take a lot of pressure."
Sayan Ghosh during a club match for Mohun Bagan. Image | Sportz Point
A few seasons back, Sayan had a longer run-up which caused him a few injuries. But, post the 2022 season, he shortened his run-up to avoid such injuries which helped him gain more control. Keeping this in mind, Sportz Point wanted to know if he had done anything special to prepare for this grand comeback.
However, as per Sayan, he just kept doing the basic things over and over to get better at everything. "I do lots of fitness work and spot bowling. It helps me a lot," Sayan added while answering the question.
Regardless of how, for a sportsperson, a comeback is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical battle. Back in 2022, in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point, Sayan shared that "rejections do not deject him."
But, saying that and actually having that mental strength are two different things altogether. For Sayan, it was all about being present and believing in God.
"There comes a time in every sportsman's life when they stop worrying about the outcome, trust in God, and fully immerse themselves in the process. So, that was my thinking just to be in the present and wait for my turn," Sayan expressed.
During tough periods like these, players always get some people clapping and cheering for them. For Sayan, along with his family, there were a few people, who guided and supported him throughout the process.
"Maco da (Shib Shankar Paul) and Kanchan (Maity) da gave me chances in BPL And Laxmi (Ratan Shukla) da helped me and gave me a chance to come back in Bengal Cricket."
"I must say about Akash da, one of my colleagues in my office, who is a very good bowler himself. He supported me in every aspect of my life. I think without his support, I could not have made the come back like that," Sayan stated.
Age? Not a problem
Sayan Ghosh before a club match for Mohun Bagan. Image | Sportz Point
But, in this process of being in and out of the team, Sayan has reached an age where most cricketers start to reach the end of their careers. But, not all.
Cricketers like Scott Boland have proved that, if you can keep putting in the hard work, even as a fast bowler you can debut and play at the highest level even after 30. Sayan believes that too.
"Hope keeps us alive. I don’t think a lot about the outcome. But, when you have a goal to achieve something big in your professional career, you always stay motivated," the 32-year-old shared.
"There is nothing as sweet as a comeback, when you are down and about to lose. If you are thinking about a comeback, you have to keep pushing the boundaries. I have small targets to do well in club cricket and give Mohunbagan trophies. I want to make a strong impact in Bengal Cricket in every format."
Sayan Ghosh bowling in a club match. Image | Sportz Point
Now, after a great white-ball return, Sayan Ghosh wants to don the whites for Bengal again. Amidst all the success around white-ball cricket, his love for red-ball cricket remained the same; like a 10-year-old with a new ball in hand.
"We are playing well in all formats, especially in the Ranji trophy. It was unfortunate for us not to qualify despite playing well in the group stages. The Bihar match and the Kerala match were gone because of the rain and that was the reason (we could not qualify).
"The last time I played a Ranji Trophy game was in 2017. I have played 6 matches and got two five-wicket hauls. However, because of certain team combinations, I haven't played red-ball cricket in a long time now.
"My belief is always there to make a strong comeback in red ball cricket."
Bengal Ranji Team in Last Three Seasons: 13 opening combinations, 22 debutants and many more numbers
Bengal Ranji Team since playing the final in 2022-23 season has not been able to reach the knockouts in last two occasions. Here are the numbers to look out from the last three seasons.
Since winning the Ranji Trophy in the 1989-90 season, when a player named Sourav Ganguly debuted for them in the final, Bengal have not been able to win the domestic title till now. From 2005 to 2007 they dominated the domestic circuit but came second twice in two seasons.
The last time they played in the Ranji Trophy knockouts was in the 2022-23 season when they lost against Saurashtra on their turf in Kolkata.
Post that final at Eden Gardens, two seasons have gone by and Bengal's quest for another Ranji Trophy title continued. In the 2024-25 season, they even failed to make it to the knockouts after average performances in the red ball format despite having a few national team players in action for them.
Despite winning the final league match vs Punjab, Bengal failed to qualify for the knockouts of Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Image | CAB
In the last few years, Bengal Cricket have been accused of multiple issues such as a lack of home-grown talents, reports of age frauds and outstation players finding it easier to make themselves local players, reports of corruption in the second division and many more.
Today, we will not cater to those areas of Bengal cricket. Rather, we will have a deep analysis of what has happened within the team.
We will dig deep into numbers to analyze and discuss what might have gone wrong in the last three seasons for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy.
Keep in mind, that we have only taken the Ranji Trophy format and data into consideration. We will discuss the white-ball numbers in a different article soon.
Numbers and More: Bengal Ranji Team in Last Three Seasons
Here are a few findings from the last three seasons of the Bengal Ranji Team, collected by Sportz Point via BCCI.tv and ESPNCricinfo.
#1 | 13 opening combinations in three seasons
Ankit Chatterjee during his debut game in Kalyani.
This has been the main pain point for Bengal in the last few seasons; the opening slot. Though they have the services of one of the Best domestic players in Abhimanyu Easwaran, they have found it hard to find a suitable partner for him.
Moreover, whenever Easwaran goes to any National team duty or India-A games, Bengal have not been able to replace him as well.
In the last three seasons, Bengal have gone for as many as 13 opening combinations. In the 2024-25 season, they had 4 different opening combinations. In the 2023-24 season, the number was 3 and in the 2022-23 season, the number was 6.
From the above list, it is quite obvious that Laxmi Ratan Shukla and the management have not been able to find a great opening pair which can last for a whole season.Though Sudip Kumar Gharami started as an opener, since he settled in at number three, Bengal has tried to use him only in that position.
Only the pair of Sourav Paul & Shreyansh Ghosh got five matches in a row in 2023-24 and the rest of them did not get that many consecutive matches to open as a pair. Yes, the availability of Abhimanyu Easwaran made that a bit tough as well.
Sumit Mohanta was the latest player to make debut for Bengal in first-class cricket. Image | CAB
Bengal team management gave first-class debut caps to as many as 22 players in the last three seasons, which largely speaks about the inconsistency this team has had.
Even if we clear out the accusations of having "club quotas" in less important games, we have a few interesting numbers to present.
In the last three seasons, only Manoj Tiwary retired from all forms of cricket and we had Wriddhiman Saha and Sudip Chatterjee moving to Tripura to play first-class cricket. Besides that, players like Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep constantly stay busy with the national team setup.
Now, if you calculate the number of injuries to players like Ishan Porel and Shahbaz Ahmed, along with the different demands of the first-class arena, 22 debutants is a large number which can point to many distinct sections of the selection process.
Regardless of many arising questions in the Kolkata Club Cricket section, all of these 22 players performed quite well in Club cricket and age-level cricket to earn those selections. But, surely, the team combinations lacked consistency.
Players who made first-class debuts in the last three seasons for Bengal
#3 | 8 debutants played only one game in the last three seasons
Subham Chatterjee is one of those 8 debutants who played only one game in last three seasons. Image | CAB
When any team select any player, there is something they see beyond the numbers. Numbers matter but the experience and gut feeling of those selectors matter more.
But, in the case of Bengal, we have seen a lack of faith in those talents. 8 out of those 22 debutants played only one game in a season. If you discount the debuts of Sumit Mohanta and Vishal Bhati, who debuted in the last game of this season, the number is six.
Below are the players who played only one game after making debuts for Bengal in first-class since the 2022-23 season -
#4 | 17 players played two or fewer matches since the 2022-23 season
Habib Gandhi is another player who did not get a chance post his debut. Image | CAB
Here arises the question of consistency again. It might be the case of selectors or team management moving from one player to another quickly or players not impressing them enough in two games. But, a staggering17 players have played two or fewer first-class matches in the last three seasons.
Again, we should cut the names of Ankit Chatterjee, Sumit Mohanta and Vishal Bhati from the consideration since they made debuts in the last two or final games of this current season.
Players to have played two or fewer matches in the last three seasons
Sudip Gharami and Anustup Majumdar batting together in Bengal vs Baroda 2022-23 Ranji Trophy match in Kalyani.
If we take out the numbers of Bengal's top order batters, only Anustup Majumdar,Sudip Kumar Gharami and Abhimanyu Easwaran have scored the most runs for them in the last three seasons.
Bengal played the Ranji Trophy final in the 2022-23 season when all three scored more than 700 runs in a season, which was pivotal to Bengal's success. Shahbaz Ahmed and Abishek Porel played a few fighting knocks down the order for them, but that has not been good enough to turn the tables so far.
However, in the last two seasons, both Anustup and Gharami have not been able to continue that form and that was visible in the Bengal's results column.
Bengal players with the most runs in the last three seasons
2024-25
Sudip Chatterjee - 441 at 55.12
Sudip Gharami - 331 at 41.37
Anustup Majumdar - 228 at 28.50
2023-24
Anustup Majumdar 510 at 63.75
Abishek Porel 377 at 41.88
Abhimanyu Easwaran 337 at 168.50
2022-23
Anustup Majumdar 867 at 61.92
Sudip Gharami 803 at 50.18
Abhimanyu Easwaran 798 at 66.50
#6 | Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal - The Lone Warrior
Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal has been Bengal's highest wicket-taker in last two Ranji Trophy Seasons. | Image - CAB
Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal has been Bengal's only shining star in the last two seasons since making his debut in the 2023-24 season. The medium pacer took advantage of Ishan Porel's injury and the absence of Indian stars like Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar and came out as Bengal's best performer.
Jaiswal took 31 wickets in 6 games in his first season and followed that up with 29 scalps in the next season. In both seasons, he was the highest wicket-taker for Bengal.
Not only that, he also scored his maiden first-class ton this season, showing his all-round skill.
Other than him, no Bengal player could make a name for himself in the last two seasons. Do not be surprised if Suraj gets a maiden India-A call-up soon as well.
Most wickets for Bengal since Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal's debut
2024-25
Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 6 matches 29 wickets
Mohammed Kaif 5 matches 17 wicktes
2023-24
Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 6 matches 31 wickets
Mohammed Kaif 6 matches 17 wickets
What future holds for Bengal Ranji Team?
Bengal Ranji Trophy captain Anustup Majumdar and head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla during a practice session. Image | CAB
There is no doubt that Bengal has one of their greatest players Laxmi Ratan Shukla as their head coach. But, with too many changes and chops within the team, it is high time that the team management shows faith in homegrown talents and gives them a long run at a first-class level.
However, the most important thing would be that players raise their hands and perform at the domestic level. Players like Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal can be exemplary for them to learn and turn opportunities into success.
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