Vishvaraj Jadeja's 165 helps Saurashtra beat Punjab to reach Vijay Hazare Trophy Final

Vishvaraj Jadeja scored 165* vs Punjab [Source: JioHotstar]

The two in-form teams, Punjab and Saurashtra, met in the semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26 at the Centre of Excellence 1 ground in Bengaluru, as they looked to book their place against Vidarbha in the final.

What initially looked like a competitive game to watch was turned around into a lopsided affair by the likes of Chetan Sakariya and Vishvaraj Jadeja with their dominant displays in the respective departments, and they clinched the second semi-final with a comfortable margin.

Here's a brief look at how the match panned out.

Prabhsimran and Anmolpreet shine amid batting collapse

Punjab was asked to bat first in the second semi-final at the COE, with Prabhsimran Singh captaining the team in Abhishek Sharma's absence. Batting alongside another Punjab Kings star, Harnoor Singh, who has been among the runs in the competition, Prabhsimran got a 60(73) partnership before Harnoor was dismissed for 33(43).

The skipper continued to bat with Anmolpreet Singh and got another 109 off 115 for the second wicket and scored his fifth fifty of the season. While taking the aggressive route after a composed start, the batter got 87 off 89 with 9 fours and three sixes. Following the opener, Punjab soon lost two quick wickets in Naman Dhir (8) and Nehal Wadhera (0) and went from 169/1 to 200/4.

Ramandeep Singh joined his brother in the middle, and the duo stitched a 75-run stand for the fifth wicket. Meanwhile, Anmolpreet Singh got his second century in the tournament to go with his four fifties, scoring 100(105) with 9 fours and a six. Ramandeep tried to add finishing touches, but Punjab fell short of the 300-run mark and finished at 291 in 50. Ramandeep got 42(38).

Among the Saurashtra bowlers, Chetan Sakariya stood out with 4/60 (10), dismissing Anmolpreet and the lower middle-order. Ankur Pawar got the prized wickets of Dhir and Wadhera on successive deliveries, while the experienced Jaydev Unadkat finished 10 overs, conceding only 39.

Jadeja's century stages an emphatic chase for Saurashtra

Punjab bowlers failed to put any pressure on the Saurashtra openers early on in the innings, as they looked to defend a total which was below par for the venue, similar to the semi-final 1, which saw Vidarbha chase 281 comfortably. Captain Harvik Desai, who was coming into the match with three hundreds and two fifties, took the responsibility alongside Vishvarajsinh Jadeja.

The duo went on to stitch a massive opening partnership to leave no room for a Punjab comeback. In their 23-over stay together, they got 172 runs, including Harvik's third fifty, for Harvik, who got out for 64(63) with 9 fours. On the other end, Jadeja got to his third ton of the season in just 74 balls. While his partner was dismissed by Gurnoor Brar, he stuck to the end to see the team through the remainder of the chase.

Prerak Mankad made sure to carry the momentum and joined with Vishvaraj to score the final 120 runs and lead Saurashtra to the final with a 9-wicket win. Vishvaraj went past his 150 and finished with 165*(127) with 18 fours and 3 sixes. Mankad also got a useful 52*(49) with 7 fours for their win.

Up next, Saurashtra will face Vidarbha in the final of the tournament on January 18 at the same venue.