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Ranji Trophy: Bengal Thrash Delhi, Haryana Prevail; Karnataka, J&K Settle For Draws

Debutant Ankur Paul: Bengal opened their 2026-27 campaign in the Ranji Trophy with a commanding nine-wicket victory over Delhi, while Haryana defeated Himachal Pradesh by seven wickets as the opening round of the domestic first-class tournament concluded on Wednesday. Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir were saved by rain after a dramatic second-innings collapse against Madhya Pradesh, while Karnataka fought back against Andhra to secure a draw. Bengals bowlers dismissed Delhi for 277 in their second innings before the visitors chased down the target of 89 in just 15.3 overs to collect six points from their Group C encounter. Pradipta Pramanik claimed three wickets for 72 runs, while Amir Gani and Sumanta Gupta picked up two wickets each. Debutant Ankur Paul scored 38, and captain Abhimanyu Easwaran remained unbeaten on 34 to guide Bengal to victory. Haryana, meanwhile, completed their chase of 71 in 18.1 overs after resuming at 26/3 on the final day. Himanshu Rana scored 37, while Dheeru Singh remained unbeaten on 24 as the pair added 51 runs to secure the Group D victory. Haryana had taken a 43-run first-innings lead before bowling Himachal Pradesh out for 113 in their second innings, with Anshul Kamboj claiming four wickets. Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir suffered a dramatic collapse against Madhya Pradesh in Srinagar, slipping to 12/5 while chasing a challenging target after the visitors declared 249/6 in their second innings. J&K recovered to 88/7, but rain and bad weather stopped play, allowing the hosts to escape defeat. Madhya Pradesh earned three points for their 76-run first-innings lead. Karnataka also had to settle for a draw against Andhra in Group B after conceding a 144-run first-innings lead. Andhra posted 418 in reply to Karnatakas 274, but the visitors fought back through a determined second innings, declaring at 337/9 with veteran Karun Nair playing a key role. Andhra finished at 104/4, earning three points against Karnatakas one. In other Group A results, Baroda defeated Goa by an innings and 135 runs after posting 472/8 declared and dismissing their opponents for 199 and 138. Mahesh Pithiya took five wickets in Goas first innings, while Bhargav Bhatt claimed four in the second. Vidarbha beat Puducherry by 160 runs after setting a target of 291. Vidarbha defeated Puducherry by 160 runs in another Group A fixture. After scoring 428 in their first innings and declaring at 175/3 in the second, Vidarbha bowled Puducherry out for 313 and 130. Maharashtra began their Group C campaign with a 127-run victory over Services in New Delhi. Prithvi Shaw scored 70 off 73 balls, while Ankit Bawne made a major contribution with the bat as Maharashtra posted 333 in their first innings. Services managed 227 in reply, and despite Maharashtra being dismissed for 141 in their second innings, the visitors were bowled out for 120 while chasing 248. In another Group B fixture, Saurashtra took three points after securing an 80-run first-innings lead over Chhattisgarh. Ravindra Jadeja scored 102 and later claimed three wickets as Chhattisgarh were dismissed for 312 in response to Saurashtras 392. Saurashtra then reached 229/1 declared in their second innings, with Chirag Jani scoring an unbeaten century, before the match ended in a draw. Punjab also secured three points against Assam in a drawn Group B encounter. Assam scored 373 in their first innings, but Punjab responded with 478/6 declared to take a 105-run lead. Debutant Vihaan Malhotra scored 103, while Emanjot Singh Chahal remained unbeaten on 114 to help Punjab recover from a middle-order collapse. Assam finished at 157/6 in their second innings. Jharkhand earned three points against Kerala in Group C after building a sizeable first-innings lead. Jharkhand scored 587, with centuries from Shikhar Mohan, captain Virat Singh and Aditya Singh. Kerala replied with 395, with Abhishek P. Nair scoring 126, but failed to avoid the follow-on. Kerala were 62/2 in their second innings when the match ended in a draw. Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu also played out a draw in Group D, with Rajasthan securing an 89-run first-innings lead. Rajasthan made 363 before Tamil Nadu were dismissed for 274, losing their last five wickets for just 10 runs. Tamil Nadu reached 73/0 in their second innings before the teams agreed to a draw. Uttarakhand took three points after securing a first-innings lead against Railways in another drawn fixture. Uttarakhand scored 470, while Railways were bowled out for 278. Railways reached 272/4 in their second innings before the match ended. Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu also played out a draw in Group D, with Rajasthan securing an 89-run first-innings lead. Rajasthan made 363 before Tamil Nadu were dismissed for 274, losing their last five wickets for just 10 runs. Tamil Nadu reached 73/0 in their second innings before the teams agreed to a draw. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS