LUCKNOW, Oct. 26 -- Former champions Uttar Pradesh will look to make it three wins from three when they take on hosts Puducherry in their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group A clash, beginning Monday at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground. Aryan Juyal-led Uttar Pradesh have made an emphatic start to the season. They crushed Bihar by an innings and 267 runs in Rajgir after piling up 540, before defeating Goa by 68 runs in Kanpur in the second round. With two outright victories, UP have collected 13 points and sit in second spot of Elite Group A behind Baroda 14 points. Rinku Singh has been central to their success. After scoring 112 against Bihar, he struck an unbeaten 118 against Goa to rescue UP from a precarious position and set up the win. Aryan Juyal has also provided stability at the top, with an unbeaten 60 in the first innings and 74 in the second against Goa. The bowling attack has been equally impressive. Leg spinner Zeeshan Ansari took 4/40 against Bihar and followed it with 5/45 against Goa, while Kartik Yadav's 5/37 in Goa's second innings sealed UP's second victory. Puducherry, by contrast, is still searching for its first win. They lost their opening match to Vidarbha by 160 runs and then drew with Madhya Pradesh, conceding the first-innings lead after being bowled out for 177. They have one point from two matches and will be desperate to convert home advantage into a stronger result. Their batting has shown flashes of resistance, particularly in the second innings against Madhya Pradesh, when they reached 98/1 before the match ended in a draw, but consistency remains their biggest concern. Against a confident UP attack, the hosts cannot afford another top-order collapse. Much will depend on how Puducherry handles UP's spinners, especially Ansari, who has already taken nine wickets in two matches. The hosts will also need to find a way past Rinku Singh, whose ability to counterattack has repeatedly changed the course of UP's innings. For UP, the challenge will be to maintain intensity away from home. Their batting has occasionally wobbled as they lost four wickets for 102 against Goa but Rinku and Juyal have shown the temperament to rebuild. "We have learnt a lot from the first two outings and would be aiming for yet another win. But for sure, we aren't taking rivals lightly as they too are capable enough to turn the table on us," UP's chief coach Gyanendra Pandey said on Sunday. "There has been rain since this morning so there was no training today, and we hope to see rain free days over the next four days," he said, adding, "Good thing is that everyone is fit and raring to go." Uttar Pradesh begin their Senior Women's T20 Trophy Elite campaign in Pune on Monday determined to move past last season's disappointment, when they finished a poor fifth in their group. Batter Varnika will lead the side, with UP's preparation built around sharper fitness and fielding, areas the team identified as decisive after a relatively underwhelming 2025 campaign. UP open against Hyderabad on October 26 at MCA Ground 2 in Gahunje, before facing Pondicherry on October 27. Their group campaign then continues against Delhi on October 31, Mumbai on November 2, Jharkhand on November 4 and Uttarakhand on November 6. With a 20-member squad selected and players such as Archana Devi, Tripti Singh and Garima Yadav included, UP have depth across departments. If Varnika's batting group sets strong platforms and the bowlers execute under pressure, UP will believe they can convert last season's fifth-place lesson into a genuine push beyond the league stage. The Elite league runs from October 26 to November 6, with knockouts later in Ahmedabad....