Bengal opt for turner in must-win match vs Delhi in Ranji Trophy

Hosts Bengal will bank on their spin resources when they face a spirited Delhi in a must-win Ranji Trophy group B fixture beginning at Eden Gardens Sunday.

Bengal are placed fourth with 16 points, while Delhi (13) have climbed to seventh place after their nine-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh in the last round.

With five teams from a combined group A and B set to make the quarters, it's a must-win match for both teams to keep their hopes alive.

Unlike in the past when they used to put out green top, Bengal have opted for a turning track this time, possibly to negate the effect of Delhi pace duo of Navdeep Saini and Kulwant Kejroliya who gave them nightmares last season.

The duo shared 13 wickets between them in two innings, as Delhi eliminated Bengal from the semifinals with an innings and 26 runs victory in Pune.

The loss will be fresh in their minds as Bengal have reinforced their spin attack roping in uncapped leg-spinner Prayas Ray Barman who made headlines in the IPL auctions after being signed up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping Rs 1.5 crore.

The 16-year-old, who was playing for Bengal in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy, was drafted in ahead of the match. The youngsters may be set for a debut and bowl alongside offspinner Aamir Gani on Sunday.

Skipper Manoj Tiwary remained tight-lipped but said they would go with two-spin option.

"We wanted to go all out with a rank turner. But in present scenario, I think you would not need a third spinner. Two will be enough I suppose," he said.

Visibly unhappy with the pitch on offer, Tiwary said they wanted a rank-tuner but the pitch might not assist spin both ways.

"Frankly speaking, it's not the type of spinning track we wanted," he said citing the example of Saurashtra's 87-run win over Karnataka on a rank-turner in Rajkot.

"We have seen it live on TV... It was pure rank-turner the way they (Saurashtra) wanted. We would have liked a completely dry pitch.

"In the present situation, it seems there will be spin from one end and it will help the seamers from the other end. Let's hope for the best. We will go with the mindset to fight for six points rather than being dependent too much on the pitch."