Vijay Hazare Trophy Semi-final: Anmolpreet’s century powers Punjab to 291 against Saurashtra
Openers Prabhsimran Singh and Harnoor Singh gave Punjab a steady start, adding valuable runs in the powerplay.
Openers Prabhsimran Singh and Harnoor Singh gave Punjab a steady start, adding valuable runs in the powerplay.
Vidarbha will be aiming to carry their momentum into the semi-final and overcome a strong Karnataka side. The second semi-final, featuring Punjab and Saurashtra, will be played on January 16.
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.
Prabhsimran Singh grabbed the spotlight with a composed 88 off 85 balls, including 10 fours and 2 sixes, at a strike rate of 107.50, before getting caught by Saransh Jain off the bowling of Kuldeep Sen.
Madhya Pradesh come into the contest on the back of a confidence-boosting win over Karnataka in their final group-stage fixture.
Shreyas Iyer led the charge on his return to domestic cricket, scoring a brisk 82 off 53 balls, an innings that included 10 boundaries and three sixes.
The round is set to draw significant attention with the return of two of India’s most awaited stars, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, both making their first appearances in the tournament.
The round marked the first appearances of India regulars Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj and Tilak Varma in the ongoing domestic 50-over tournament.
In a surprising turn of events, Gill was not named in Punjab’s playing XI for their match against Sikkim.
Matches were played across Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur, Alur, and Raipur, with the round being dominated by explosive batting performances and standout bowling spells.
