Punjab Secures Semi-Final Spot with Dominant Victory Over Madhya Pradesh in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Punjab's Commanding Win

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 13: Punjab advanced to the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy following a convincing 183-run win against Madhya Pradesh in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Facing a daunting target of 347 runs, Madhya Pradesh struggled significantly, getting bowled out for just 162 in 31.2 overs, failing to build any momentum throughout their innings. Sanvir Singh emerged as the star bowler for Punjab, achieving remarkable figures of 3 wickets for 31 runs in his six overs.

The chase for Madhya Pradesh began poorly, with wickets falling consistently. Opener Yash Dubey was dismissed early for just 3 runs by Gurnoor Brar.

Brar quickly struck again, sending back Dubey's partner Himanshu Mantri for 18 runs.

Shubham Sharma offered some resistance with a score of 24 but was eventually dismissed by Sanvir Singh, who also took down Madhya Pradesh's captain Venkatesh Iyer for a duck shortly after.

The pressure mounted as Akshat Raghuwanshi fell for just 4 runs, dismissed by Krish Bhagat, leaving Madhya Pradesh in a dire situation at 66/5 after 16.4 overs.

Saransh Jain followed soon after, scoring only 6 runs before becoming Sanvir Singh's third wicket. Rajat Patidar tried to stabilize the innings but was dismissed for 38 runs off 40 balls.

The lower order provided minimal resistance, with Aryan Pandey scoring 13, Tripuresh Singh contributing 31, and Kumar Kartikeya falling for a duck, leading to Madhya Pradesh's collapse at 162 all out.

In addition to Sanvir Singh's stellar performance, Gurnoor Brar finished with figures of 2/27, Ramandeep Singh took 2/23, and Mayank Markande added 1/26, securing a comprehensive victory for Punjab and their place in the semi-finals.

Earlier in the match, after being invited to bat first by Madhya Pradesh at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru, Punjab posted a total of 345 runs for 6 wickets in their 50 overs.

The opening duo of Harnoor Singh (51 runs off 71 balls) and captain Prabhsimran Singh (88 runs off 86 balls) set a solid foundation, frustrating the Madhya Pradesh bowlers with a century partnership of 116 runs.

Harnoor was dismissed by Aryan Pandey (1/39 in 10 overs), but Anmolpreet Singh, coming in at number three, accelerated the innings with a quick 70 runs off 62 balls.

Prabhsimran Singh, who was on track for a century, fell just short at 88, dismissed by Kuldeep Sen (1/56 in 6 overs).

Despite losing their openers, Punjab maintained their scoring rate, with Anmolpreet Singh and Naman Dhir contributing a brisk 23 runs to keep the momentum going.

The latter stages of the innings were highlighted by a powerful performance from Nehal Wadhera, who smashed 56 runs off just 38 balls. He and Anmolpreet added 76 runs for the fourth wicket in just 50 balls.

This aggressive batting ensured Punjab capitalized on the strong start, surpassing the 250-run mark by the 41st over.

As the innings neared its end, Madhya Pradesh managed a few breakthroughs but could not halt Punjab's disciplined batting, which propelled them towards a formidable total. With contributions from Ramandeep Singh (24) and Sanvir Singh (13), Punjab finished at 345/6 in their allotted overs.

Madhya Pradesh's captain Venkatesh Iyer recorded bowling figures of 2-60 in 7 overs, while Tripuresh Singh ended with 2/61 in 10 overs.