3 big teams who have underperformed so far in Ranji Trophy 2023-24 ft. Delhi
The ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy has seen a lot of top performances from teams across all groups but at the same time, a few sides have done staggeringly poorly.
While the likes of Vidarbha, Mumbai, Karnataka, Baroda and Tamil Nadu continue to rule the roost in their respective groups, a lot of the other traditionally 'big' teams have failed to make a mark.
One of the most interesting stories in the Ranji Trophy this season is that of Hyderabad, who, after being relegated to the Plate Group at the end of last season, have won all their games by an innings to qualify for the semi-finals of that particular group.
In this listicle, we bring to you three big teams that have underperformed so far in the ongoing Ranji Trophy:
#1 Delhi
Delhi are perhaps the biggest underperformer among all big teams in the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy.
The team representing the capital city and its surrounding districts of India have fallen to new lows with reports of corruption regarding the selection of its squad making all the wrong noises.
None of their top players, including the likes of Yash Dhull, Himmat Singh and Ayush Badoni - all of whom are on the national radar - have managed to make waves this season.
As a result, the seven-time Ranji winners find themselves in the sixth position of the Elite Group D standings with a mere ten points to their name after five matches.
#2 Punjab
Traditional powerhouses Punjab, who have won the Ranji Trophy once (1992-93) and have ended as runners-up on three different occasions, are faring quite poorly in this edition of the tournament.
At the time of writing, they are ranked in the sixth position of the Elite Group C standings with 11 points inside their kitty.
While it is an understandable fact that theirs has been a rather poor showing owing to the quality of sides on offer in their group- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat- bad weather too has played a part in this.
Their games against Tripura and Chandigarh, for example, were largely left unplayed owing to bad light and rain respectively.
#3 Bengal
Bengal, who are, again, a traditional powerhouse in domestic cricket, have done rather poorly in the Ranji Trophy this season.
At this point, they find themselves perched upon the fifth position of the Elite Group B standings with 12 points to their name after having played in five games.
This will surprise and astonish the supporters of the two-time winners, who were also the runners-up of last season.
Bengal have been runners-up in the Ranji Trophy on thirteen occasions but their hopes of qualifying for the quarterfinals this season hang by a thread.
Some say that a rot set deep in Bengal's local league structure has to be held responsible for this poor showing, with their loss to Mumbai by an innings and four runs in the last round speaking loudest.