Bengal and Delhi met in their first Ranji Trophy match of the 2026 season, a fixture that produced one of the tightest finishes in recent memory. The hosts finished on 518, just one run ahead of Delhi's 517 in a contest that went down to the wire. Both sides entered the match unbeaten, each sitting at the bottom of the table with zero games played and zero points accumulated.
The scoreline tells a story of two batting line-ups firing on all cylinders. Bengal's 518 proved sufficient, though barely, as Delhi chased and fell short by a single run. It is the kind of result that leaves the losing side questioning what might have been, while the winners will know they survived on the edge.
Both teams came into this opener with mixed recent form. Bengal had suffered defeats against Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad, but recovered with a convincing win over Assam. Delhi's run was more inconsistent — a heavy loss to Vidarbha bookended a series of narrow results, including a one-run victory over Harayana and a three-run win against Railways.
With both sides now level on points, the table remains completely open. There is nothing to separate them, and every match from here will carry weight. The season is barely underway, and already Bengal have set a marker.
