Vijay Hazare Trophy Highlights: Iyer Shines, Uncapped Players Impress
Mumbai vs Himachal Pradesh
Shreyas Iyer made a remarkable return to competitive cricket, scoring a blistering 82 runs off 53 balls for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh. In a thrilling match in Jaipur, Mumbai narrowly defeated Himachal Pradesh by seven runs. Shivam Dube's crucial two-wicket haul in the final over sealed the victory for Mumbai, who set a target of 300 runs. Himachal Pradesh fought valiantly but fell short, finishing at 292 all out. Iyer and Musheer Khan, who scored 73, were the standout performers for Mumbai, while Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled with the bat.
Punjab vs Goa
In another match in Jaipur, Punjab comfortably overcame Goa. Despite India's ODI-Test captain Shubman Gill managing only 11 runs, Punjab successfully chased down the target of 212. Harnoor Singh remained unbeaten on 94, and Naman Dhir contributed a solid 68. Goa's Prabhudessai and Lalit Yadav both scored fifties, helping their team reach 211 before being bowled out. Arshdeep Singh was effective with the ball for Punjab, taking two wickets.
Hyderabad vs Bengal
Hyderabad achieved a commanding 107-run victory over Bengal in Rajkot. Aman Rao was the star of the match, scoring a double century (200* off 154 balls) with 12 fours and 13 sixes. Gahlaut Rahul Singh also contributed with a fifty, leading Hyderabad to a total of 352/5. Mohammed Shami took three wickets for Bengal but conceded 70 runs. Mohammed Siraj excelled for Hyderabad, finishing with figures of 4/58, while Shahbaz Ahmed's 108* was the only highlight for Bengal as they were bowled out for 245.
Kerala vs Puducherry
In Ahmedabad, Kerala secured an 8-wicket victory over Puducherry. Vishnu Vinod was the standout performer, scoring an unbeaten 162 off just 84 balls, while Baba Aparajith supported with 63 not out. Despite Sanju Samson's early dismissal for 11, Kerala chased down the target of 248 in just 29 overs, with Vinod's explosive innings featuring 13 fours and 14 sixes, earning him the Player of the Match award.
Karnataka vs Rajasthan
Karnataka triumphed over Rajasthan by a significant margin of 150 runs in Ahmedabad. Mayank Agarwal's century (100 off 107 balls) and Prasidh Krishna's five-wicket haul were pivotal in this victory. Devdutt Padikkal narrowly missed a century, scoring 91 off 82 balls. Karnataka posted a total of 324/7, while Prasidh Krishna's impressive bowling figures of 5/36 restricted Rajasthan to 174 all out.
Gujarat vs Odisha
Gujarat dominated Odisha, winning by a staggering 233 runs in Bengaluru. Chintan Gaja's exceptional 6-wicket haul was instrumental, while Axar Patel scored a notable 73. Gujarat's total of 333/6 was bolstered by contributions from Urvil Patel and Ahaan Poddar, both scoring 64.
UP vs Vidarbha
Uttar Pradesh, led by Rinku Singh, continued their winning streak with a fifth consecutive victory in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. They posted a formidable 339/5, with Rinku scoring a quickfire 57* off 30 balls. Vidarbha struggled to keep pace, finishing at 285/9. Abhishek Goswami also made a significant contribution with a century, while Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets for Uttar Pradesh.
Chhattisgarh vs Maharashtra
Chhattisgarh secured a nail-biting 6-run victory over Maharashtra in Jaipur. Despite a strong batting lineup from Maharashtra, including Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prithvi Shaw, they fell short, ending their innings at 160/8, unable to surpass Chhattisgarh's total of 167.
Saurashtra vs Services
Saurashtra achieved a convincing 111-run win over Services in Alur. Key contributions came from Harvik Desai (110), Vishvaraj Jadeja (71), and Prerak Mankad (53), leading Saurashtra to a total of 349. Chetan Sakariya and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja each took three wickets, restricting Services to 238.
Delhi vs Railways
In a match against Railways, Delhi's Priyansh Arya continued his impressive form, scoring 80 runs off 41 balls. Skipper Rishabh Pant added a quick 24 runs, helping Delhi chase down a target of 180 runs.
TN vs Tripura
In the encounter between Tamil Nadu and Tripura, standout performances from Andre Siddharth (70 off 86 balls) and Gurjanpreet Singh (6/26) helped Tamil Nadu restrict Tripura to 205 runs while chasing a target of 260.