Chandigarh, Nov. 9 -- Punjab dominated the opening day's proceedings in their Ranji Trophy elite group match against hosts Chandigarh at the Cricket Stadium, Sector 16, on Saturday by reducing the home side to a modest 173 in their first innings. At stumps, Punjab were comfortably placed at 71/3, trailing by just 102 runs with seven wickets in hand.

Winning the toss and opting to field first on a lively surface, Punjab's new-ball pair made the top order struggle as the local side collapsed quickly to 28 for 3 within the first six overs. Off-spinner Ayush Goyal was the chief destroyer, returning with impressive figures of 4 for 50 in 15 overs. Goyal's scalps included key wickets of openers Shivam Bhambri (4), Arjun Azad (13), and skipper ...