Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Vidarbha beat Karnataka to reach the Final

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Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26: Vidarbha beat Karnataka to reach the Final: The first semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26 was a thrilling one. In the match played at the Centre of Excellence (Ground No. 1) in Bengaluru, Vidarbha put up a brilliant performance and defeated five-time champions Karnataka by six wickets. With this victory, Vidarbha secured their place in the final for the second time in the tournament’s history.

Karnataka’s solid batting: posted a score of 280 runs

At the start of the match, Karnataka won the toss and made the bold decision to bat first. The team posted a challenging total of 280 runs in the allotted overs.

  • Karun Nair shines: Experienced batsman Karun Nair showed his class, scoring 76 runs (8 fours, 1 six).
  • Middle-order contributions: Shrijith Krishnan supported Nair well and played a crucial innings of 54 runs.
  • Strong start: Openers Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Prabhakar provided the foundation for Karnataka to reach a big total.

Vidarbha’s balanced bowling

Despite the large total of 280 runs, Vidarbha’s bowlers maintained pressure intermittently. Darshan Nalkande was the most successful bowler, taking two wickets, while Yash Kadam also tried to curb Karnataka’s momentum by taking one wicket.

Chasing the target: Aman Mokhade’s ‘storm’

Vidarbha, chasing the target of 281 runs, made their intentions clear from the start. The real hero of the match was Aman Mokhade, who tore apart the Karnataka bowlers.

  • Century Innings: Aman Mokhade scored 138 runs in just 122 balls, including 12 fours and two brilliant sixes.
  • Dhruv Shorey’s Support: Opener Dhruv Shorey gave the team a steady start by scoring 47 runs.
  • Ravikumar Samarth’s Finishing Touch: In the end, Ravikumar Samarth batted patiently and remained unbeaten on 76 runs, taking the team past the threshold of victory.

Karnataka’s Attempts Were Futile

Karnataka’s bowlers tried to make a comeback in the match by taking wickets and kept the match exciting until the end, but their patience was defeated by the patience of the Vidarbha batsmen. Neither one worked. Vidarbha achieved the target with six wickets remaining.

Conclusion: Vidarbha’s historic win

With this win, Vidarbha not only booked a place in the final, but also proved that they are capable of handling the pressure of big matches. Defeating five-time champions Karnataka at home will significantly boost Vidarbha’s morale for the final.