Bengal Bolster Bowling Attack By Adding Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar For Ranji Trophy 2025-2026 Opener

Ranji Trophy 2025-2026: Experienced Indian pacers Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, and Mukesh Kumar have been added to the Bengal squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2025-2026 season opener.

The presence of Shami, Akash Deep, and Mukesh will help Bengal to strengthen their bowling attack in their forthcoming match.

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Abhimanyu Easwaran To Lead Bengal Squad In Ranji Trophy 2025-2026

After replacing Anustup Majumdar, Abhimanyu Easwaran will be leading the Bengal squad in the Ranji Trophy 2025-2026. According to ESPNcricinfo, the change in captaincy came in after consultation with the newly appointed Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, Sourav Ganguly.

Mohammed Shami played his last Test match for India in 2023 against Australia during the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. Since then, he has not played a red-ball game for the national team.

After being snubbed from the Indian Test squad for the ongoing West Indies series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, said that Shami lacks game time, which is why he was not included in the team. Now, it is the perfect time for Shami to display a stunning performance and make a comeback into the red-ball format for Team India.

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Mohammed Shami's Stats In Red-Ball Cricket

Mohammed Shami played 64 Tests and 122 innings, picking 229 wickets at a bowling average of 27.71 and an economy rate of 3.30. In first-class cricket, Shami played 90 matches and 170 innings, bagging 340 wickets at an economy rate of 3.28 and a bowling average of 27.31.

Meanwhile, Akash Deep has recently displayed a stunning performance in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The 28-year-old picked up 13 wickets from six innings in the recently concluded England Tour.

Akash Deep has played 42 first-class matches and 71 innings, picking 144 wickets at an economy rate of 3.20 and a bowling average of 25.24.

On the other hand, Mukesh Kumar played 53 first-class matches and 96 innings, taking 210 wickets at an economy rate of 2.91 and a bowling average of 21.79.

Bengal will take on Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy 2025-2026 season opener, on October 15.

Bengal Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Abishek Porel (VC/Wk), Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Sumanta Gupta, Saurabh Kumar Singh, Vishal Bhati, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Ishan Porel, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Rahul Prasad, Sumit Mohanta and Vikash Singh.