Chirag Gupta
Patna: Punjab defeated Bihar by an inning and 67 runs in their Ranji Trophy match at the IS Bindra Cricket Academy in Mohali. Bihar struggled throughout the match, posting just 135 runs in their first innings and collapsing for 98 runs in their second, while Punjab amassed a commanding 300 runs in their first inning.
The Group C match saw dominant performances from Punjab’s Jaskaranveer Singh Paul (65), Saleel Arora (64), and Savveer Singh (47). Despite a spirited effort from Bihar’s bowlers, led by Saqib Hussain (4 wickets for 114 runs), they were unable to contain Punjab’s strong batting lineup.
Bihar’s batting woes continued in the second inning. Only Vipin Saurabh (33), Piyush Kumar Singh (24), and Saqib Hussain (16) managed to reach double figures. Punjab’s Gurnur Brar was the standout bowler, taking 5 wickets for just 14 runs, with support from Baltej Singh, who claimed 4 wickets for 44 runs.
This defeat marks Bihar’s fourth loss out of five matches in the Ranji Trophy, three of which were by an innings. With only 1 point in the standings, Bihar will now look to regroup ahead of the second phase, which begins on January 23. Their upcoming fixtures include a home game against Uttar Pradesh and an away match against Kerala, marking the conclusion of their season.
