Laxmi Ratan Shukla set to be appointed as Bengal's new head coach

On Monday, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) decided to appoint former Bengal captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla as the new head coach of Bengal. In contrast, former India opener WV Raman will be the new batting consultant. 

CAB is expected to officially announce Shukla as the head coach of Bengal on Tuesday (July 26th). Shukla, who has played 141 List A games, and 137 First-class games for Bengal, has been Bengal U25 coach since last year. 

So, his advancement to be the next head coach of the Bengal senior team was always on the cards. 

U25 opens the door to Shukla's promotion to senior team

“Shukla will be appointed the chief coach of the Bengal team tomorrow,” a senior CAB official told PTI on Monday.

“He has been our U-25 coach, and most of the players share a good rapport with Shukla, who has been a fighter all his life. He is expected to bring in fresh ideas into the Bengal set-up.”

The development came following the resignation of Arun Lal as coach of Bengal last week. The 66-year-old stepped down as the head coach of the Bengal cricket team, citing fatigue and age. 

Under Lal, Bengal reached the Ranji Trophy final in the 2019-20 season for the first time in 13 years and finished this year’s Ranji Trophy as the semi-finalist. 

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