New Delhi, Sep 24: Heavyweights Bengal find themselves in tough group, clubbed with Punjab, Odisha and Delhi in Santosh Trophy groupings that were unveiled here on Wednesday.
Defending champions Karnataka, runners-up Meghalaya along with hosts Arunachal Pradesh were exempted from playing the first group stage.
Group A: Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Kerala. Group B: Odisha, Bengal, Punjab, Ladakh, Haryana and Delhi. Group C: Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Group D: Chandigarh, Railways, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. Group E: Mizoram, Services, Pondicherry, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. Group F: Andaman & Nicobar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Telangana and Lakshwadeep. (PTI)