Injured Shukla ruled out

Calcutta: A finger injury has forced Laxmi Ratan Shukla out of Bengal's Ranji Trophy tie against Railways, which begins from Saturday, at the Jadavpur University second campus ground.

Shukla injured the little finger of his left hand in an attempt to effect a diving stop during the Mohun Bagan-East Bengal JC Mukherjee Trophy final, here, on Wednesday.

"The X-ray report shows dislocation of the finger, along with damaged tissues. I will have to stay out of action for a couple of weeks," Shukla later said.

The all-rounder's omission renders Bengal depleted ahead of their last Ranji tie this season, with the likes of Manoj Tiwary, Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed already unavailable due to injury or national commitments.

Shukla's absence, though, makes way for pacer Shib Shankar Paul, who makes a comeback in Bengal's Ranji squad after five long years.

Matches

MORE TOP STORIES TODAY