Vidarbha and Punjab Secure Spots in Vijay Hazare Trophy Semifinals
Vidarbha Advances with Strong Bowling Performance
In a thrilling encounter at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence, Vidarbha triumphed over Delhi by 76 runs, securing their place in the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The standout bowlers, Nachiket Bhute and Harsh Dubey, played pivotal roles in this victory.
Delhi opted to field after winning the toss, but Aman Mokhade couldn't maintain his impressive form, scoring just 31 runs before being dismissed by Navdeep Saini.
A solid partnership between Atharva Taide, who scored 62 runs off 72 balls, and Dhruv Shorey, with 49 runs off 71 balls, built a 90-run second-wicket stand before Ishant Sharma intervened.
Vidarbha faced a minor setback at 173/4, but Yash Rathod's explosive 86 off 73 balls, featuring eight fours and two sixes, helped them surpass the 200-run mark. Ultimately, they finished their innings at 300/9.
Delhi's bowlers, including Ishant (2/47), Prince Yadav (2/59), and Navdeep Saini (2/68), contributed to restricting Vidarbha's total.
Delhi's Chase Falls Short
In their pursuit of 301 runs, Delhi struggled early, collapsing to 80/4. Bhute's impressive figures of 4/51 and Dubey's 3/36 dismantled the batting order, claiming key wickets.
Despite a resilient 66-run effort from Anuj Rawat and Harsh Tyagi's 27 runs, Delhi was ultimately bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs, falling short of the target.
Punjab Dominates Madhya Pradesh
Earlier in the day, Punjab secured their semifinal spot with a commanding 183-run victory against Madhya Pradesh. Chasing a daunting target of 347, Madhya Pradesh was all out for just 162 in 31.2 overs.
Sanvir Singh was the star with the ball for Punjab, achieving remarkable figures of 3/31. Madhya Pradesh's innings faltered from the start, losing wickets consistently.
Opener Yash Dubey was dismissed for just 3 runs, and the team struggled to build partnerships, with only Rajat Patidar managing to score 38 runs.
Punjab's batting was anchored by a solid opening partnership of 116 runs between Harnoor Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, who scored 51 and 88 runs, respectively.
Anmolpreet Singh added a quick 70 runs, while Nehal Wadhera's explosive 56 off 38 balls propelled Punjab to a formidable total of 345/6.
Madhya Pradesh's Struggles Continue
Despite a few breakthroughs, Madhya Pradesh's bowlers struggled to contain Punjab's batting onslaught. Venkatesh Iyer's bowling figures of 2-60 in 7 overs highlighted the team's difficulties.
Punjab's disciplined batting ensured they set a challenging target, ultimately leading to Madhya Pradesh's collapse and Punjab's advancement to the semifinals.