Round 2 matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26 are scheduled to get underway from 9 AM IST onwards across the country on December 26 (Friday). The opening round of the tournament was dominated by batters completely, with multiple records being shattered including the highest run-chase, the fastest List A century and the highest total to be amassed in List A cricket. 22 batters, including the likes of Rohit Sharma, Vira Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Suryavanshi among others scored centuries. Bowlers will be hoping to have a little more luck in the second round matches of the VHT while the batters will be eyeing to extend their dominance.
All eyes on Ro-Ko once again
The veteran duo of Rohit and Kohli created instant impact on their return to VHT after over a decade. Both batters slammed tons in the first round matches of the tournament for their respective teams, with their red-hot form continuing. They will be hoping to replicate their feat in the next round games as well. But by no means will they be taking their opposition lightly. Rohit’s Mumbai will take on Uttarakhand while Kohli’s Delhi will lock horns with Gujarat on Friday.
Currently 3rd and 7th on the list of highest run-getters in the tournament, Sharma and Virat will be hoping to score yet another round of centuries as they continue to prepare for the IND vs NZ ODI series. After all, the games on Friday could be the last in the tournament for the seasoned duo as they were scheduled to play just 4 games.
Will Padikkal’s List A prowess grow?
Time and again Devdutt Padikkal has proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in List A cricket. In Karnataka’s VHT 2025/26 opener against Jharkhand on Wednesday, he did just that by scoring his 10th List A ton. So far, Padikkal has 2218 runs from 34 List A games and averages a mind-boggling 82.14. The Karnataka batter will be aiming to put up another impressive performance which will help him break into the Indian ODI side in the IND vs NZ series which commences in january.
Will bowlers dominate round 2?
As opposed to 22 batters who scored centuries in the opening round matches of VHT 2025/26, only 4 bowlers managed to get five-wicket hauls. 9 bowlers bagged 4 wicket hauls while the remaining on the long list managed to take just 3 or 2 wickets only. With India looking for next generation bowlers in the 50-over format for the future, the onus will be on these talents to put up an impressive shows and overshadow the batters in round 2 of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26.
Another record loading for Suryavanshi
Suryavanshi could possibly break more records in the round 2 match on Friday. After all, Bihar is placed in the Plate group and will take on Manipur in their next contest. The 14-year-old slammed the 3rd fastest List A ton by an Indian on Wednesday, taking just 36 deliveries to breach the triple-figure mark. He narrowly missed out on what would have been a well-deserved double century as he was dismissed for 190 runs. On Friday, Vaibhav will be looking to breach the 200-run mark and play yet another memorable knock.
VHT Elite matches on December 26
| Group | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group C | Goa vs Himachal Pradesh | Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground, Jaipur | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group C | Mumbai vs Uttarakhand | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group C | Chhattisgarh vs Punjab | Anantam Ground, Jaipur | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group D | Haryana vs Saurashtra | KSCA Cricket (2) Ground, Alur | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group D | Andhra vs Railways | KSCA Cricket Ground, Alur | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group D | Odisha vs Services | KSCA Cricket (3) Ground, Alur | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group D | Delhi vs Gujarat | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group C | Maharashtra vs Sikkim | KL Saini Ground, Jaipur | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group B | Chandigarh vs Uttar Pradesh | Sanosara Cricket Ground A, Rajkot | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group A | Madhya Pradesh vs Tamil Nadu | Gujarat College Ground, Ahmedabad | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group A | Jharkhand vs Rajasthan | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group A | Puducherry vs Tripura | ADSA Railways Cricket Ground, Ahmedabad | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group A | Karnataka vs Kerala | Narendra Modi Stadium B Ground, Ahmedabad | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group B | Assam vs Jammu and Kashmir | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Khandheri, Rajkot | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group B | Baroda vs Bengal | Niranjan Shah Stadium C, Rajkot | 9:00 AM (Local) |
| Group B | Hyderabad vs Vidarbha | Sanosara Cricket Ground B, Rajkot | 9:00 AM (Local) |
VHT plate matches on December 26
| Group | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plate | Bihar vs Manipur | JSCA Oval Ground, Ranchi | 8:45 AM (Local) |
| Plate | Arunachal Pradesh vs Mizoram | Usha Martin Ground, Ranchi | 8:45 AM (Local) |
| Plate | Meghalaya vs Nagaland | Ranchi | 8:45 AM (Local) |
Editor's Pick
Cricket
Shreyas Iyer injury update: India ODI vice-captain to begin rehab at BCCI CoE, eyes IND vs NZ comeback
Top Stories
IND-W vs SL-W preview: Hosts comfortably moving towards 5-0, but trying fresh faces need of the hour
