Vijay Hazare Trophy: Vidarbha and Punjab book semi-final spots after dominant displays

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Vidarbha and Punjab booked their places in the semi-finals of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) after taking the lead in their respective quarter-final encounters on Tuesday.

At the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Vidarbha avenged last season’s final defeat by beating Delhi by 76 runs, riding on another disciplined bowling performance from Nachiket Bhute and Harsh Dubey.

Delhi won the toss and opted to field, but Vidarbha recovered well despite losing in-form opener Aman Mokhade early. Mokhade, who had been prolific this season, fell for a 12-ball 31, dismissed by Navdeep Saini in the powerplay.

Vidarbha steadied the innings through a crucial 90-run stand between Atharva Taide and Dhruv Shorey. Taide scored 62 off 72 balls, striking eight boundaries, while Shorey contributed 49 from 71 deliveries, including seven fours. Delhi skipper Ishant Sharma broke the partnership to keep the contest alive.

The momentum shifted decisively in Vidarbha’s favour thanks to a fluent 57-run stand between Yash Rathod and Yash Kadam. Rathod top-scored with an impressive 86 off 73 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes, as Vidarbha crossed the 200-run mark with authority. Despite regular wickets from Delhi’s bowlers, Vidarbha posted a competitive total of 300/9 in their 50 overs.

Ishant Sharma led the bowling effort with figures of 2/47, while Prince Yadav (2/59), Navdeep Saini (2/68) and Nitish Rana (2/19) also chipped in.

In reply, Delhi’s chase faltered early as they slumped to 80/4. Bhute (4/51) and Dubey (3/36) ripped through the top order, removing Priyansh Arya, Nitish Rana, Vaibhav Kandpal and Tejasvi Dahiya in quick succession.

Anuj Rawat offered resistance with a patient 66 off 98 balls, and Harsh Tyagi added a brisk 27, as the duo stitched together a 55-run stand for the seventh wicket to briefly revive Delhi’s hopes. However, the target proved too steep, and Delhi were eventually bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs.

Meanwhile, Punjab sealed a dominant spot in the semi-finals with a thumping 183-run victory over Madhya Pradesh at the same venue.

Chasing a daunting target of 347, Madhya Pradesh were bundled out for just 162 in 31.2 overs. Sanvir Singh starred with the ball, returning excellent figures of 3/31 from six overs.

Madhya Pradesh lost early wickets as opener Yash Dubey was dismissed for 3 by Gurnoor Brar, who struck again soon after to remove Himanshu Mantri for 18. Shubham Sharma (24) showed brief resistance before falling to Sanvir, who later removed skipper Venkatesh Iyer for a duck.

Akshat Raghuwanshi (4) and Saransh Jain (6) departed cheaply, leaving Madhya Pradesh reeling at 66/5. Rajat Patidar fought back with a 38-ball 40, but his dismissal ended any faint hopes of a comeback.

Earlier, Punjab laid a solid foundation after being put in to bat first. Openers Harnoor Singh and skipper Prabhsimran Singh stitched together a commanding 116-run stand. Harnoor made 51 off 71 balls, while Prabhsimran anchored the innings with a fluent 88 off 86 deliveries.

Anmolpreet Singh carried the momentum with a 62-ball 70, while Naman Dhir chipped in with a quick 23. The highlight of the innings came from Nehal Wadhera, who smashed a rapid 56 off just 38 balls, adding 76 runs for the fourth wicket with Anmolpreet.

Late contributions from Ramandeep Singh (24) and Sanvir Singh (13) ensured Punjab finished strongly at 345/6, a total that proved far beyond Madhya Pradesh’s reach.