Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22, Puducherry vs Bengal: Probable XIs, Match prediction, Weather Forecast, and Pitch Report
Puducherry will face Bengal in the second round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021. The Elite Group B fixture will be played at the KCA Cricket Ground in Mangalapuram, Trivandrum.
Puducherry got off to the worst possible start to the competition. They suffered a heavy loss against Karnataka in their opening game.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, the bowlers struggled throughout the innings as Karnataka posted 289 on the board, losing six wickets. What followed was a disappointing effort from the batters as they were bundled out for 53 in 17.3 overs.
Puducherry lost the match by 236 runs and need to put in a much-improved performance in their next fixture against Bengal.
Bengal, on the other hand, beat Baroda in a closely-fought contest on the opening day of the competition. After being asked to bat first, Bengal managed to score 230, thanks to contributions from Abhisek Das and Kaif Ahmad.
The bowlers were brilliant in the second half as they knocked over Baroda on 203, winning the game by 27 runs. They will be riding with confidence after that win over Baroda.
Puducherry vs Bengal Match Details:
Match: Puducherry vs Bengal, Round 2, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021
Date and Time: December 9th 2021, Thursday, 09:00 AM IST
Venue: KCA Cricket Ground, Trivandrum
Puducherry vs Bengal Pitch Report
The pitch at KCA Cricket Ground is a belter of a track. The ball comes nicely onto the bat and the batters enjoy batting on this surface. The bowlers need to be at their best while bowling on this surface.
Puducherry vs Bengal Weather Forecast
There is a high chance of rain predicted in Trivandrum on Thursday, with temperatures expected to range between 24 and 31 degrees Celsius.
Puducherry vs Bengal Probable XIs
Puducherry
Subodh Bhati and Sagar V Trivedi picked up two scalps each as Karnataka posted 289 on the board. The batters failed to adapt to the conditions as they were knocked over on 53, losing the game by 236 runs.
Probable XI
S Karthik, Govindaraajan A S, Rohit D (c), Pavan Deshpande, Karthikeyan Jayasundaram, Paras Dogra, Fabid Ahmed, Sagar V Trivedi, Ashith, Subodh Bhati, Sagar P Udeshi
Bengal
Abhisek Das scored 62, opening the batting and Kaif Ahmad scored 67 as it helped them post a competitive total on the board. Akash Deep picked up three wickets and the other bowlers too chipped in with wickets as they defended the total successfully.
Probable XI
Shreevats Goswami (wk), Abhisek Das, Sudip Chatterjee (c), Kaif Ahmad, Sumanta Gupta, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Akash Deep, Geet Puri, Mukesh Kumar
Puducherry vs Bengal Match Prediction
Puducherry and Bengal had contrasting fortunes in their respective opening games of the competition. Puducherry need to be on their toes to challenge Bengal in their next contest.
Bengal look strong on paper and are expected to walk past Puducherry unscathed on Thursday.
Prediction: Bengal to win this encounter.