What a dominant performance from Vidarbha as they completely outplayed Delhi, sealing a 76-run victory and marching into the semi-finals. Vidarbha will now take on the defending champions Karnataka in Thursday’s semi-final clash. Both the semi-final and the final will be day-night games, with coverage beginning at 12:30 PM. Do make sure you join us for all the action.
For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off along with scorer/analyst Rajesh Pal as we brought all the actions of this clash. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. BYE BYE👋
Semi-Final fixtures of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26:
Semi-Final 1️⃣ - Karnataka vs Vidarbha, 15th January, 2026 (Thursday)
Semi-Final 2️⃣- Saurashtra vs Punjab, 16th January, 2026 (Friday)
Player of the Match: Yash Rathod
5 PM IST & Local Time: That brings an end to the contest! It’s been a dominant performance from Vidarbha here in Bengaluru. They outplayed Delhi in all departments, sealing a convincing 76-run victory and booking their place in the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26.
Earlier in the day, Delhi won the toss and opted to field, and Navdeep Saini provided the early breakthrough by dismissing Aman Mokhade for 6 in the sixth over. Atharva Taide and Dhruv Shorey then steadied Vidarbha’s innings, overcoming early jitters after both were reprieved by dropped catches. The duo batted sensibly through the middle overs, rotating strike well and putting together a solid 90-run stand for the second wicket. Ishant Sharma returned to break the partnership, bowling Taide for a well-made 62, before Shorey fell soon after for 49, just short of a half-century.
Ravikumar Samarth and Yash Rathod added 37 runs for the fourth wicket before a costly mix-up led to Samarth’s run-out on 23. Rathod then forged a crucial 57-run partnership with Yash Kadam, taking Vidarbha beyond the 250 mark. Yash Rathod anchored the innings superbly, top-scoring with a fluent 86 off 73 balls as Vidarbha finished on 300/9. Delhi clawed back well at the death, with Nitish Rana making an immediate impact as a late bowling option, while Ishant Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Prince Yadav and Rana all picked up two wickets apiece.
In reply, Delhi got off to a blistering start as openers Priyansh Arya and Vaibhav Kandpal made full use of the field restrictions. Arya fell against the run of play in the eighth over, dismissed for a brisk 28 off 19 balls. Nitish Rana walked in at number three but departed first ball, as Nachiket Bhute struck twice in two deliveries to put Delhi under sudden pressure.
Vaibhav Kandpal and Tejasvi Dahiya then added 21 runs for the third wicket before both fell in the same over. Harsh Dubey removed the pair in the 13th over, leaving Delhi struggling at 80/4. The responsibility then fell on Anuj Rawat, who needed to produce a big knock to keep Delhi in the hunt. He found some support from Harsh Tyagi, who made 27 off 30 balls, and Hrithik Shokeen, who chipped in with 21 off 17, but the pressure continued to build as the asking rate kept climbing.
Anuj Rawat eventually departed for a fighting 66 off 98 balls and from there Vidarbha wasted little time in cleaning up the tail. Delhi were bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs.Nachiket Bhute was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with figures of 4/51, while skipper Harsh Dubey also impressed with figures of 3/36, as Vidarbha sealed a convincing 76-run win to book their place in the semi-finals.
W IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! GAME, SET AND MATCH! Banged it short into the wicket around off. Saini stands tall and takes it on. He looks to play the pull shot, gets a top edge which goes up in the air. The fielder at deep square leg settles underneath it, dives forward and takes a really good catch. The TV Umpire is just checking the fairness of the catch. Yash Kadam is the fielder who has his fingers clearly underneath the ball. OUT! Vidarbha win by 76 runs.