Ranji Trophy: Punjab favoured as Andhra seek turnaround in New Chandigarh

Punjab will face Andhra in the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in New Chandigarh on Monday, with Punjab starting as favourite and Andhra described as desperate.

Andhra opened its season by taking the fight to Karnataka, securing a first-innings lead before Karun Nair’s unbeaten 155 in the second essay ensured the contest ended in a draw at Vijayawada, while Punjab took a first-innings lead against Assam in its opener.

Andhra’s campaign then soured over the next two rounds as Hyderabad handed them a heavy 267-run defeat and Chhattisgarh completed a five-wicket victory on the final day.

Punjab recovered after its opening match, bouncing back with a seven-wicket win over Chhattisgarh and then securing another first-innings lead against Hyderabad.

Salil Arora has led Punjab’s batting with three successive centuries, and skipper Uday Saharan, Prabhsimran Singh and Vihaan Malhotra have also contributed runs to the host’s encouraging form.

Andhra’s contributions have come from batter S.V. Rahul and left-arm orthodox spinner Lalith Mohan, but the team’s three defeats have all come while playing at home, making this its first away fixture of the campaign.

Punjab sit on 12 points from three matches while Andhra have just three, and the fourth-round, four-day match in New Chandigarh will determine whether Andhra can halt its slide.