Ranji Trophy: Punjab take on Mumbai in keen contest, wounded Karnataka look to hit back
The return of Manish Pandey from injury will further add strength to their middle order
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-10-08 02:10 GMT
Bengaluru/Mumbai: Following a rather unceremonious start to their campaign which not only ended in a draw but also saw Karnataka gift away the first innings lead to Assam, the defending Ranji champions will look to get back to their ruthless best when they take on Bengal on home turf in their second Group A encounter, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Blessed with a talented squad, which is as strong as it is deep, the hosts, who have had two all-conquering seasons under coaches J Arun Kumar and Mansur Ali Khan, more often than not enter the field as clear favourites and their hiccup in their opener will only further fuel that fire.
The Vinay Kumar-led side showed some of their usual tenacity and attitude in flashes during their opener and the same will be expected of the opening pair of R Samarth and Mayank Agarwal.
The return of Manish Pandey from injury will further add strength to their middle order. In Mumbai, high on confidence after a fine start to their campaign which fetched them seven points, visitors Punjab would be keen to put hosts under the pump in their Group ‘B’ second round encounter. Punjab go into the game after an innings victory at home over Railways that came about after a strong allround performance.