Bengal Cricket’s rise in Ranji Trophy 2025-26 explained — key reasons behind their strong start and top spot in Elite Group C.
The first half of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 ended on November 19, with the focus now shifting to the white-ball domestic events. Cricket Association of Bengal currently stand at the top position of their group with three wins in five games, including two draws. The Abhimanyu Easwaran-led side was excellent in their all-round performance in both home and away fixtures.
It has been an enticing prospect for Bengal in the last couple of Ranji Trophy seasons. In the 2024-25 edition of the red-ball event, they ended in the top four. Over the last couple of seasons, Bengal have continued to grow with both bat and ball. That has helped them earn massive success in various conditions.
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Bengal’s undefeated first half of Ranji Trophy 2025-26
Bengal’s opening clash of the tournament came against Uttarakhand at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. India’s veteran premier pacer, Mohammed Shami returned to the eleven with an aim to impress the national selectors. Shami and Ishan Porel recorded three wickets each in the first innings, along with Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal’s 4-54, bundling out the visitors for 213.
Meanwhile, Sudip Chatterjee’s 98 runs and Sumanta Gupta’s 82 provided them a vital 110-run lead. Shami added four more wickets in his 24.4 overs of the second innings; subsequently, Bengal completed the chase by eight wickets.
In the second affair, a couple of fifties for the hosts from Sumanta and Sudip Gharami helped them breach the 275-run mark in the first innings. Apart from Gujarat captain Manan Hingrajia’s unbeaten 80, none of the touring batters crossed the 20-run mark. Bengal set a massive target of over 320 runs in the fourth innings as Shami’s 5-38 helped them claim a 141-run victory.
After two home clashes, Bengal moved to Agartala for their first away clash against Tripura. Gharami’s 108 and Habib Gandhi’s 95 helped Bengal post 336 in the first innings. However, centuries from Hanuma Vihari and captain Manisankar Murasingh helped Tripura take the first-innings lead. The visitors were reduced to 13-3 in the 10th over of the third innings, before an unbeaten 77-run stand between Anustup Majumdar and Shahbaz Ahmed took the game to a draw.
Later, they made a trip to Surat for the next encounter against Railways. Majumdar’s 135 and Sumanta’s 120 helped Bengal post 474 in the first innings. Suraj’s four wickets earned a vital first innings lead for the tourists, who enforced the follow-on. Shahbaz’s 7-56 in 22.5 overs blew away Railways for 132 as Easwaran’s army pocketed an innings and 120 run win.
Bengal returned to Kalyani for their last group-stage encounter of the first half against Assam. Shami returned to the eleven and bagged three wickets to bundle out Assam for 200. Shahbaz’s century and three more individual fifties claimed a lead of over 240 for Bengal .
A win was obvious for Bengal. But Assam showed incredible resilience and played out 120.4 overs to reach 282-9 for the drawn result. The last five wickets played out nearly 47 overs for the heroic performance.
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Different individuals stepping up – Bengal’s key to success
For any side to do well for a significant amount of time in a tournament, they need different individuals to step up at different times. And for Bengal, this is the exact scenario in this Ranji event. Sumanta is their leading run-getter in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. He has recorded 378 runs in six innings at an average of 63 with three half-centuries and one century.
Anustup has also breached the 300-run mark in the first half of the domestic red-ball season. Shahbaz is exactly on 300 runs in six innings with two fifties and one century. Gharami has piled up 281 runs in eight innings. This is a bright picture for the current success and future of Bengal cricket.
In terms of bowling, Shahbaz is their most successful campaigner in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26. The left-arm spinner has collected 22 wickets in seven innings at an average of 16.31. Shami has also bagged 20 wickets at 18.60, while Suraj has taken 13 wickets in eight innings.
This is the unique part of Bengal’s campaign. Moreover, a few of their players featured for the national side while most of them were part of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This is where they invest their experience and brutal mindset to motivate the youngsters. Mukesh Kumar is yet to feature in the Ranji Trophy but is expected to return in the second half of the tournament.
After a break of white-ball events, the second half of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 will resume on January 22, 2026. Bengal’s sixth game of the competition will be against Services at the Eden Gardens.
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