Ranji Trophy 19/20 Final: Bengal vs Saurashtra - Preview
Saurashtra has entered the final of Ranji Trophy for the second consecutive season and they will play Bengal on the 9th of March.
Ranji Trophy is the premier domestic cricket tournament in India. The tournament is named after a legend of Indian cricket, Ranjitsinhji. The tournament consists of 38 teams from 28 states and 4 union territories of India. All the 38 teams go head-to-head for one ultimate glory, the Ranji Trophy Title. The 86th season of Ranji Trophy is towards its business end as only 2 teams out of 38 teams are alive in this season’s tournament. The two teams - Bengal and Saurashtra will face-off for one last time this season for the championship.
Match Details
Date: 9th-13th March 2020
Time: 9.30 AM IST
Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Stadium, Rajkot
Team News
Saurashtra will have their star player back for the final match. Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat answers the queries regarding the availability of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja.
"Cheteshwar will be back for sure, Ravindra I am not sure," Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat said after his side's semi-final win over Gujarat.
Even the Bengal side will be eyeing for the return of their star players. Wriddhiman Saha and Mohammed Shami will be back from the series in New Zealand but, only Saha will join the Bengal-side for the final against Saurashtra.
“Saha will play but not Shami as the South Africa series is there," a Bengal support staffer told ESPNcricinfo.
Stat Attack
The players to watch out for are:
Sheldon Jackson (Saurashtra) - The 33-year-old batsman has been excellent with his willow and has scored 783 runs in 9 matches averaging 52.20 which includes 3 centuries and 3 half-centuries with 186 being his highest score.
Jaydev Unadkat (Saurashtra) - The seasoned campaigner has led Saurashtra from the front and has scalped 65 wickets in 9 matches with a bowling strike rate of 25.6 which includes 7 five wickets haul. His best bowling figures this season is 7/56.
Manoj Tiwary (Bengal) - The leader of Bengal’s batting unit has been in great form scoring 672 runs in 10 matches averaging 51.69 which includes one massive triple century and 3 half-centuries. 303* is his highest score this season.
Shahbaz Ahmed (Bengal) - The youngster who was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore at 2020 IPL auction has been in song for the Bengal side in this Ranji season. The all-rounder has picked up 30 wickets and scored over 400 runs with his best bowling figure being 7/57.
Squads for the Final
Bengal: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Sudip Chatterjee, Boddupalli, Amit, Ashoke Dinda, Koushik Ghosh, Sreevats Goswami (WK), Anustup Majumdar, Mukesh Kumar, Arnab Nandi, Ishan Porel, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Shahbaz Ahmed, Manoj Tiwary, and Wriddhiman Saha.
Saurashtra: Jaydev Unadkat (Captain), Arpit Vasavada, Avi Barot, Parth Bhut, Divyaraj Chauhan, Jay Chauhan, Harvik Desai (WK), Sheldon Jackson (WK), Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Kamlesh Makvana, Prerak Mankad, Kushang Patel, Snell Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara, Chethan Sakariya, and Samarth Vyas.
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