Bihar crush Manipur by 568 runs to lock Ranji Trophy Elite Group promotion

Bihar win Ranji Trophy Plate final 2025-26 [Source: @BCCIdomestic/x]

Bihar pulverized Manipur by 568 runs in the final of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy Plate Group to secure an Elite Group promotion. In what turned out to be a mismatch of epic proportions, Bihar set Manipur an improbable target of 764 runs on Day 5 before bowling them out for just 195 in 56.1 overs.

Bihar captain Sakibul Gani won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his splendid first innings century, scoring 108 runs off 155 balls with 11 cracking boundaries and three huge sixes at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna.

Bihar earns back Ranji Trophy Elite Group status

After finishing second on the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy Plate Group points table, Bihar pulverized table-toppers Manipur by 568 runs on Day 5 of their final match in Patna. The outcome helped Bihar regain their Elite Group status, after getting relegated to the Plate Group of the 2025-26 edition of the tournament.

Bihar was placed in Group C of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season last year, where they failed to win a single match, sustaining six crushing defeats and one no-result from seven group fixtures. Even during the preceding 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, Bihar finished at the bottom of the Elite Group B points table with four defeats and three draws from seven matches.

After undergoing two full Ranji Trophy seasons without notching up a single win, Bihar started out the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy edition in Plate Group alongside the likes of Meghalaya, Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and finalists Manipur.

Bihar registered two wins and three draws from five matches to finish second on the Plate Group points table with 16 points at a formidable NRR of 1.261.

Bihar vs Manipur final: How the match panned out

Bihar batted first and mounted 522 in 135.5 overs with centuries from captain Sakibul Gani and wicketkeeper-batter Bipin Saurabh. Akash Raj and tailender Suraj Kashyap also punched out cracking half-centuries in the high-scoring innings.

In turn, Kashyap (3-34), Prashant Singh (2-60) and Himanshu Singh (2-38) skittled Manipur for just 264 in 89.1 overs to secure a huge lead of 258 runs.

With an unbeaten double century from Piyush Singh and swift half-centuries from Khalid Alam, Bipin Saurabh and Raghuvendra Pratap Singh; Bihar once again aggregated 505-6d in their second innings to set Manipur an improbable target of 764 runs.

Suraj Kashyap and Himanshu Singh picked up six wickets between on the final day to shoot out Manipur for just 195 in the decisive innings as Bihar registered a thumping win margin of 568 runs.

What’s next for Bihar cricket team?

With promotion secured, Bihar will return to the Ranji Trophy Elite Group in the 2026-27 season, aiming to re-establish themselves against stronger oppositions. The dominant Plate Group campaign of 2025-26 provides them a solid platform for the team to build consistency and avoid another relegation battle.

The focus will now shift to strengthening their squad depth and sustaining this momentum at the elite level later this year.