Vijay Hazare Trophy Round 5 Wrap: Rishabh Pant stars as Shreyas Iyer nears return

The fifth round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy concluded on Saturday, with several established and emerging stars delivering standout performances across venues. The round marked the first appearances of India regulars Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj and Tilak Varma in the ongoing domestic 50-over tournament.

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The most eye-catching performance came from Hardik Pandya, who smashed his maiden List A century, scoring 133 off 92 balls for Baroda against Vidarbha. Pandya produced a breathtaking assault in the 39th over, hammering 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 and 4 in six balls. His knock powered Baroda to 293 for 9, but the effort proved insufficient as Vidarbha chased down the target comfortably to win by nine wickets.

Another standout display came from Arshdeep Singh, who returned figures of 5 for 34 in 10 overs to spearhead Punjab’s 10-wicket victory over Sikkim.

Rohan Kunnummal continued his fine form for Kerala, scoring 124 off 78 balls, including 11 sixes and eight fours, against Jharkhand. He added a 101-run opening stand with Sanju Samson, who contributed 101 off 95 balls, as Kerala sealed a commanding eight-wicket win. For Jharkhand, Kumar Kushagra produced a fighting knock, remaining unbeaten on 143 off 137 balls to help his side recover from an early collapse.

Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant also made an impact, smashing an unbeaten 67 off just 37 balls to guide Delhi to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Services. Later, Pant was also named for India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series.

For Maharashtra, Arshin Kulkarni struck his second List A century, scoring 114 to set up a comprehensive 128-run win over Mumbai. Meanwhile, Aman Mokhade starred for Vidarbha with an unbeaten 150, as his side cruised past Baroda despite Pandya’s century.

Shreyas Iyer cleared to play in Vijay Hazare Trophy

In another key development, Shreyas Iyer, who suffered a serious injury during India’s third ODI against Australia in October, has been cleared to feature in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match on January 6. The 31-year-old will represent Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Although named in India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series, Iyer’s availability remains subject to final fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence, with selectors expected to closely assess his performance and physical condition in the domestic fixture.

Vijay Hazare Trophy Round 5: Match results

• Manipur won against Meghalaya.
• Bihar won against Mizoram.
• Nagaland won against Arunachal Pradesh.
• Delhi beat Services by 8 wickets.
• Gujarat won against Andhra.
• Hyderabad won against Chandigarh.
• Maharashtra beat Mumbai by 128 runs.
• Pondicherry won against Madhya Pradesh.
• Haryana secured a four-wicket win against Odisha.
• Rajasthan claimed a thrilling win against Tamil Nadu.
• Saurashtra won against Railways.
• Uttar Pradesh beat Jammu and Kashmir by 58 runs.
• Uttarakhand won against Goa.
• Punjab crushed Sikkim by 10 wickets.
• Bengal won against Assam.
• Karnataka won against Tripura.
• Chhattisgarh won against Himachal Pradesh.
• Kerala beat Jharkhand by 8 wickets.
• Vidarbha outclassed Baroda by 9 wickets.