Abhimanyu Easwaran to Lead Bengal in Ranji Trophy 2025-26

Kolkata, Oct 8 (PTI) The well-established top-order batter, Abhimanyu Easwaran, has been appointed as the captain of a formidable Bengal squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, commencing on October 15, as announced by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Wednesday. Talented wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel will take on the role of vice-captain. The team’s pace attack is set for a significant enhancement with the return of India's fast-bowling duo, Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep. Seasoned players Anustup Majumdar and Sudip Chatterjee, alongside the promising youngster Sudip Kumar Gharami, are expected to anchor the batting lineup. The squad is further strengthened by up-and-coming talents like Rahul Prasad, Saurabh Kumar Singh, and Vishal Bhati. Laxmi Ratan Shukla remains the head coach, with Arup Bhattacharjee and Shib Shankar Paul providing their expertise as assistant coaches. Charanjit Singh Matharu takes charge as the fielding coach. Bengal, positioned in Elite Group C, shares the group with teams such as Gujarat, Haryana, Services, Railways, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Assam. Their campaign kicks off with a match against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens starting October 15, followed by another home game against Gujarat on October 25. This year's Ranji Trophy involves 38 teams, with 32 competing in the Elite division (divided into four groups) and six in the Plate division. The top two teams from each Elite group will secure spots in the quarterfinals, while four Plate teams will progress to their respective knockouts. Bengal Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (captain), Abishek Porel (vice-captain/wk), Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Sumanta Gupta, Saurabh Kumar Singh, Vishal Bhati, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Ishan Porel, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Rahul Prasad, Sumit Mohanta, and Vikash Singh.