Haryana Aims for Dominance Over Bengal on Spin-Favored Pitch Ahead of Knockouts

Haryana faces a challenging task at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli, as they prepare to tackle both a tough home record and the formidable Bengal team in their final Elite Group C match of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. Starting Thursday, they need a win to surpass Uttarakhand and Services for a spot in the knockouts.

Led by Ankit Kumar, Haryana is currently second in the standings with 24 points, just ahead of Uttarakhand and Services, who have 22 and 19 points respectively. Securing an outright victory is crucial for Haryana to advance without relying on other match outcomes. Meanwhile, Bengal has already secured a spot in the quarterfinals, regardless of this match’s result.

Haryana must overcome spin-friendly conditions at the venue, where spinners have dominated by taking 88 wickets with an average of 14.56 in three matches. In contrast, pace bowlers have managed only five wickets at an average of 62.

The spin duo of Nikhil Kashyap, Parth Vats, and Nishant Sindhu has been effective with a combined tally of 56 wickets this season. However, Haryana’s batting lineup has struggled, with the longest innings lasting just 60 overs at home. In defeats to Uttarakhand and Services, Dheeru Singh was the only one to score a half-century (70 runs), followed by Yashvardhan Dalal’s 49 runs.

Their leading run-scorer, Vats, has managed just 285 runs in 10 innings, highlighting the team’s batting woes.

Bengal will be counting on Shahbaz Ahmed, who has impressed with 24 wickets in nine innings. Mohammed Shami, coming off a strong performance with a five-wicket haul in the last round, has 27 wickets overall this season, bolstering Bengal’s attack.

Rahul Prasad, an off-spinner, despite playing only three games, could join forces with Shahbaz in these spin-conducive conditions.

Bengal’s quest to break their title drought is supported by their prolific batting lineup, with Sumanta Gupta, Anustup Majumdar, Shahbaz, and Sudip Chatterjee each surpassing 300 runs this season. Abhimanyu Easwaran, averaging 92 against spinners in First-Class cricket, will look to build on his confidence-boosting 81 in the previous match on this demanding surface.

Published on January 28, 2026.