Holders of the runners-up trophy last go-round, Vidarbha are performing wonders in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and have assured itself a second semifinal place in as many years by brushing aside Delhi with a 76-run victory. On November 10, they take on Karnataka.

Vidarbha vs Delhi: Rathod, Bowlers Seal Clinical Win

Sent in to bat first at the Centre of Excellence 2, Vidarbha advanced from a falter at the start and posted a challenging 300 for 9. Yash Rathod, scoring a stroke-filled 86, came back into form with batting after Atharva Taide was another one opener to follow up on his second consecutive fifty, with 62. Dhruv Shorey scored 49 runs as Vidarbha resurrected the early damage of 93 for the loss of two. The latter order’s brief expressions from Rohit Binkar and his captain, Harsh Dubey, nearly took the final total into the three-hundreds.

Having had to return the whole squad with Ayush Badoni of national responsibility and Rishabh Pant injured, Delhi had descended to 224 for 9 in 45.1 overs. The only wicketkeeper-batter, Anuj Rawat, could muster a gritty 66 off 98 balls, joined by no one else, as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Seamer Nachiket Bhute was the star with the ball, claiming 4/51, having been successful early on in the innings and again at the end.

Skipper Harsh Dubey was equally effective with his 3/36, followed by Praful Hinge’s two wickets. Brief resistances from Harsh Tyagi and Hrithik Shokeen were a detriment to their absence. However, they were never able to regain the momentum in their chase.

Punjab thrashed Madhya Pradesh NotFound!282 to the semifinals with an all-rounder show by storming Madhya Pradesh to nonstop steamrolling as soon as the match started.

Punjab batted first and ended on 345 for 6, thanks to skipper Prabhsimran Singh’s flurying 88. Harnoor Singh (51 in 56 balls) and Anmolpreet Singh (70 off 61 balls) built solid partnerships to put the team in good stead, whereas Nehal Wadhera’s 56 off 38 balls made up for the sluggish run rate, punishing the MP bowlers who had been reasonably successful until that point. Ramandeep Singh was in merry ways as light rain was falling; wasting no time in going for his strokes, he finished with 24 off 17 balls, batting fluently.

Madhya Pradesh’s another poor decision to put Punjab in backfired due to batting paradise at Mangaldoi. In response, Madhya Pradesh crawled on the pitch and managed just 162 runs in 31.2 overs. Rajat Patidar made the only resistance by top-scoring with 38 as he and the chase barely threatened Punjab’s total.

Many people praised the eagerness and hunger to perform, especially under pressure, exhibited by the lads of Punjab, as compared to the lethargic and conservative approach adopted by the MP players. Punjab hit the finishing line executing on a thumping win while MP felt pressure all the way.

Semi-final Line-up:

Vidarbha vs Karnataka (repeat of last season’s final)

Punjab vs Saurashtra

Presented with top contenders taking clear form in Vidarbha and Punjab, the Vijay Hazare Trophy enters the first of the high-octane semifinals.