In a repeat of last year’s final, Karnataka will take on Vidarbha in the first match of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-finals at the BCCI Center of Excellence here on Thursday. Reigning champions Mayank Agarwal & Co. have had their best performance this campaign, winning six out of seven group-stage matches and registering an impressive 55-run win over Mumbai (via VJD method) in the quarter-finals.
Devdutt Padikkal’s 721 runs scored with the help of four centuries and two half-centuries in the tournament played an important role in this innings. Vidarbha have played just one run down, winning five of the seven preliminary fixtures and registering an impressive 76-run win over Delhi in the last eight. The outfit no longer has last edition’s best batsman Karun Nair (779 runs) but has been inspired by Aman Mokhade (643 runs), Dhruv Shorey (468) and Karnataka import R Samarth (351).
In fact, Karnataka and Vidarbha have been the perfect embodiment of the high-scoring nature of this season’s competition. Karnataka has scored above 320 four times while Vidarbha has scored 300 or more in five of the eight matches. Another batting feast is about to come.
In the second match of the last four, Punjab will face Saurashtra on Friday. For the former, skipper Prabhsimran Singh impressed with a knock of 88 off 86 balls in their 183-run defeat of Madhya Pradesh in the quarters. Punjab’s success was a complete team effort, with four half-centuries – including that from Anmolpreet Singh, who scored 427 – helping them score 345 runs and four bowlers taking two or more wickets.
Saurashtra have also been in great form, scoring 349 and 383 in their last two group wins and putting in another fine performance against Uttar Pradesh to reach the semi-finals. Captain Harwick Desai’s century (number 100) was the highlight of that 17-run win (via VJD method), and Saurashtra’s top scorer (497 runs) will be looking to extend his purple patch in this edition.
Interestingly, only one bowler among the four semi-finalists figures in the list of top 10 wicket-takers – Saurashtra medium pacer Ankur Panwar, who has taken 19 wickets at an average of 21. 78 and an economy rate of 5.
84. It has been completely a batsmen’s competition. Even some moderately tight bowling can prove to be a match-winner.