Punjab look to break big-match jinx

Where they finished last season
Semi-finalists. Lost to Karnataka, the eventual winners.

With a young and well-rounded team, Punjab are one of the stronger units in the domestic circuit. Yet their wait for a big finish in the Ranji Trophy is now in its 22nd year. However, the signs, leading up to the current season, are encouraging: Punjab were the semi-finalists last season and recently finished as runners-up in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. They also haven't lost any big player to the national side.

One of Punjab's strengths is the clutch of young batsmen at the top who all have enhanced their reputations over the last few years. Jiwanjot Singh and Mandeep Singh have been regulars at the India-A level while Manan Vohra was a breakthrough performer during the last season of the IPL. With Manpreet Gony likely to be unavailable for the first two rounds and VRV Singh yet to be declared fit, the bowling will be led by two young seamers - Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma - both of whom rely on swing, which comes in handy in the north Indian venues.

If there is one area that could be tested, it is Punjab's spin attack. Harbhajan Singh is not the same bowler he used to be; he has just one five-wicket haul in 15 first-class matches over last two seasons. Sarabjit Ladda and Rajwinder Singh add variety but both of them are yet to prove themselves over an extended period.

There is also Yuvraj Singh, well past his prime. Punjab though would hope for some inspiration from the batsman to break their big-match jinx.

Amitoze Singh, who scored 422 runs from nine Vijay Hazare Trophy matches this season, has been primed by coach Bhupinder Singh Sr as a batsman to watch out for. "He has been our mainstay and is batting really well," Bhupinder said. "I hope he performs well in the longer version too."

Baltej Singh, the medium pacer, had a forgettable Ranji debut in 2011 and played only three more first-class matches, the last one of which was two years ago. For two years, he did not play a senior domestic match but made a fruitful return to cricket this year with 14 wickets in seven Vijay Hazare matches. He has been pipped as the "dark horse" for his return season by Bhupinder.

"Punjab is always a good team but I tell the boys that until you lift the trophy no body will label you as a good team," coach Bhupinder Singh said. "You have to achieve something."

"I have been losing to Karnataka, I have lost three games in a row. I really want to amend my record. Karnataka is definitely playing good cricket but we want to be the answer to them."

Second from the bottom in Group B, with two losses and six draws from eight games

Madhya Pradesh were the only non-relegated side that failed to win a single game last season, despite making Railways and Bengal follow-on. Mukesh Sahni has been replaced as coach by Harvinder Sodhi and the experienced fast bowler Anand Rajan has been dropped, even as the core of the batting remains intact.

Ishwar Pandey will lead the pace attack again, and he will be supported by a raw bunch in Puneet Datey, Yogesh Rawat and Avesh Khan, who played for India in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year. Devendra Bundela, the 37-year old captain, hopes the "fresh legs" can translate into plenty of wickets, something MP's fast bowlers, barring Pandey, could not take last season. MP haven't had a reliable spinner apart from allrounder Jalaj Saxena's steady offbreaks, making them more dependent on the quicks.

MP also missed big runs from their key batsmen in 2013-14 as only Naman Ojha clicked consistently. With Ojha in Australia with the Indian team and set to miss at least the first round, the likes of Bundela, Mohnish Mishra and Saxena will have to fire. MP's season looks daunting with heavyweight opponents such as Karnataka, Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh.

Jalaj Saxena was MP's most successful bowler last season with 35 wickets at 19.68 and his 545 runs were next only to Ojha's 835. The allrounder has found consistency with both bat and ball of late. He will have to take the lead again at the top of the order with his positive batting, and provide breakthroughs along with Pandey in case the inexperienced seam attack flags.

"We bowled well in patches last season. Some individuals performed at times, but we could not do so collectively as a bowling unit. We want to change that this time." MP captain Devendra Bundela

Fifth in Group A, with just two victories from eight matches.

Last season, Virender Sehwag managed just 234 runs from seven matches. He pushed himself to the middle order, batting at numbers 3, 4 and 5. Still, in thirteen innings Sehwag had just one fifty. A man that haunted bowlers once was now being hunted down with ease.

Sehwag, along with Gautam Gambhir, is the biggest pillar of strength in Delhi's weak batting order. But last year, Gambhir, already overburdened with various responsibilities, found no support from Sehwag who failed to get started or worse, convert the few starts he had. Delhi need Sewhag to pack the impact punch in the top order. It does not even have to be a knockout punch all the time. A few jabs, cuts, hooks to send the opponent astray, could make Delhi's job easier. Sehwag has only Delhi to resurrect his career. Delhi need Sehwag to resurrect their fortunes. It is mutual.

Another man who could alleviate Delhi's pains is Vijay Dahiya, who is back as head coach, a position he was forced to leave last season. He was at the helm when Delhi last made the knockouts, in 2010, when they lost to Mumbai in the semi-finals. The motivation for men like Sehwag, Gambhir, Chand, Dahiya and a senior fast bowler like Ashish Nehra to succeed both for the self and the team cannot be higher.

Unmukt Chand proudly enjoyed the limelight after leading India to the Under 19 World Cup. He even wrote a book, an unknown for a young Indian cricketer, recording his journey towards the title. He might be fluent in the spoken word, but Chand is yet to express himself in first-class cricket. He did get a century last year, but managed just 268 runs across eleven innings in the six matches he played with an average of 26.80. Chand needs to provide stability atop, opening in the company of Gambhir.

"I have opened the batting, one down, two down, three down, four down also. I am hoping I can score runs, it doesn't matter where I bat. It is important for me to score runs that I watch the ball till the end and if it is in my zone then try to hit it rather than play cautiously. This year, I am hoping to bat at No. 3 and No. 4 for Delhi." Virender Sehwag outlines his plan to get back among runs for the forthcoming season

Sixth in Group B, with 22 points from the league stage. Had it not been for their victory against Baroda in the penultimate round - their second of the season - Rajasthan would have finished at the bottom of the table.

Rajasthan's off season is a clear example of how off-the-field matters trickle down on the field. The mess in the Rajasthan Cricket Association - first its suspension by the BCCI following Lalit Modi's election as RCA chief, and then a revolt against Modi - put Rajasthan cricketers in danger of missing out on a full season. It was eventually the High Court that stepped in and ensured Rajasthan teams could participate in the domestic season.

By the time the decision was made, all the pre-season tournaments in the country were over and the Rajasthan players hardly had any game time before they entered the zonal one-dayers. And the rustiness was evident, as the team could win just one of the four league games and suffered the ignominy of being bowled out for 35 against Railways.

To add to their woes, Modi's RCA had decided before the season that they would not hire the services of professionals this season. Had it not been for domestic stalwarts like Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Rashmi Parida and Aakash Chopra, Rajasthan would not have won successive titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12. This has left Pankaj Singh and Robin Bist with far too much responsibility. Not only do they have to keep performing consistently, but also be on the ball when it comes to grooming youngsters and getting their strategies right.

Ashok Menaria had a fairytale start to his first-class career. Soon after leading India in the Under-19 World Cup in 2010, Menaria scored a century each in the quarter-final, semi-final and the final to star in Rajasthan's maiden Ranji triumph. Menaria, however, has failed to replicate the same consistency since then. It reflected in his tally of 302 runs from 14 innings last season, with just one fifty. He will be desperate to better his numbers and help his side to a better season.

"Our main challenge this season would be to cope with the absence of professionals. We haven't had the most ideal preparations and with no veteran in the dressing room, we will need to gel as a unit as soon as we can. If we can get our act together early on in the season, I am sure we will be in a position to make it to the knockouts." Pankaj Singh

Haryana managed to avoid relegation for the second time in succession. They tallied 10 points from eight games, finishing eighth in Group A.

Haryana have one of the most balanced bowling units. But they have one of the weakest batting line-ups in the tournament. As a result, their recent Ranji Trophy campaigns have been focused on keeping their place in the top division.

To revive their fortunes with the bat, Haryana have brought in Surendra Bhave as the coach ahead of the season. Bhave guided Maharashtra to their first Ranji final in over two decades last season. The former national selector has been working hard with the Haryana batsmen, none of whom could tally 600 runs in 2013-14. If the batting unit can complement the bowlers, Haryana can emerge as one of the strong units this year.

Their strength lies in the bowling department. In Joginder Sharma and Amit Mishra, they have seasoned campaigners who have proven their worth time and again. While Joginder will be sharing the new ball with Mohit Sharma, Haryana have a problem of plenty in the spin department. Legspinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Rahul Tewatia have given a glimpse of their talent during the limited opportunities they have got during the IPL. If they can pair up with Mishra, Haryana can restrict any opposition irrespective of the conditions.

Mohit Sharma's wicket tally may have dipped from 37 in eight in 2012-13 to 21 from six matches last season, but the exposure of international cricket has made Mohit a mature bowler. He will be charged up to lead the Haryana bowling attack and make a case for an India comeback.

The Haryana Cricket Association feels it is premature for anyone in the set-up to have an interaction with the media right now.