Rain halts play as Bengal fight to save Ranji Trophy tie with Maharashtra
Bengal were left scrambling to save their Ranji Trophy Group-C match against Maharashtra at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, after rain and bad light disrupted the penultimate day’s play. The hosts were 76 for four in their second innings, holding a slender one-run lead when play was curtailed.
Play resumed late after a rain-delayed post-lunch start and Maharashtra added 11 runs to close their first innings on 218, establishing a 75-run lead. Bengal required a draw to secure a point and retain top spot at the break in the group, but bad light and showers limited the contest to just 28 overs in three hours and 16 minutes.
Mohammed Shami removed Pradeep Dadhe in the fourth over of the day to finish with figures of 4 for 37, ending a 60-run, tenth-wicket partnership between Dadhe and Tanay Sanghavi. Sanghavi remained unbeaten on 60 (179b, 3x4, 1x6) as Maharashtra were dismissed for 218 in 82.5 overs; their innings included 23 extras (b-10, lb-11, nb-1, w-1).
Maharashtra’s lower-order pair had earlier troubled Bengal with the ball in overcast conditions; Dadhe bowled Abhimanyu Easwaran caught behind in the fourth over of Bengal’s second innings, and Sanghavi removed both Sudip Gharami and Sudip Chatterjee in the ninth over to leave the home side 25 for three. Ankur Paul and Abishek Porel then added 49 for the fourth wicket, with Paul contributing 32 (60b, 5x4) and Porel 23 (40b, 1x4) before Paul was caught at silly point off Hitesh Walunj after tea.
Maharashtra’s first-innings batting: Prithvi Shaw b Shami 12, Siddhesh Veer c Jaiswal b Shami 28, Digvijay Patil lbw b Shami 0, Ankit Bawne b Kaif 7, Sachin Dhas c Chatterjee b Jaiswal 7, Harshal Kate lbw b Kaif 1, Saurabh Nawale c Porel b Shahbaz 28, Tanay Sanghavi (not out) 60, Rajvardhan Hangargekar b Shahbaz 24, Hitesh Walunj c Abhimanyu b Shahbaz 1, Pradeep Dadhe lbw b Shami 27; Extras (b-10, lb-11, nb-1, w-1): 23; Total (in 82.5 overs): 218. Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-18, 3-31, 4-46, 5-47, 6-64, 7-102, 8-146, 9-158.
Bengal’s first-innings total was 143. Their bowling figures against Maharashtra were: Shami 23.5-8-37-4, Jaiswal 13-0-38-1, Kaif 13-2-36-2, Shahbaz 18-4-39-3, Pramanik 13-1-39-0, Sumanta 2-1-8-0.
At the close, Bengal’s second-innings scorecard read: Abhimanyu Easwaran c Nawale b Dadhe 9, Ankur Paul c Patil b Walunj 32, Sudip Gharami c Patil b Sanghavi 12, Sudip Chatterjee lbw b Sanghavi 0, Abishek Porel (batting) 23, Suraj Jaiswal (batting) 0; Total (for four wkts. in 24 overs): 76. Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-25, 3-25, 4-74. Maharashtra’s bowling in the second innings: Dadhe 7-3-22-1, Hangargekar 2-1-7-0, Sanghavi 7-1-22-2, Kate 1-0-13-0, Walunj 4-0-8-1, Veer 3-0-4-0.
With play curtailed by weather and light, Bengal remain reliant on securing a draw to claim a point and hold the top position at the break in Group C of the Ranji Trophy.
