Karnataka and Saurashtra have advanced to the semifinals of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). Karnataka faced Mumbai in the first quarterfinal and claimed a convincing 55-run victory. The Mayank Agarwal-led team will now face Punjab or Madhya Pradesh in the first semifinal on January 15. Saurashtra clinched a clinical 17-run win over Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the second quarterfinal and will battle it out with Delhi or Vidarbha in the second semifinal on January 16.
Devdutt Padikkal’s run spree continues
Devdutt Padikkal continued his rich vein of form. The southpaw batter registered his 5th score of fifty or above in the quarterfinal. Karnataka’s bowling attack had done a splendid job in the first innings. Barring Shreyas Gopal, each bowler returned with at least one wicket. Karnataka restricted Mumbai to just 254. That too only happened due to Shams Mulani’s 86-knock.
In reply, Padikkal and Karun Nair took Karnataka to an easy win. After Agarwal was dismissed for 12, the duo stitched a 143-run stand. In a firm position to win, rain arrived out of nowhere and halted play. Karnataka needed just 68 to win with 9 wickets in hand and 17 overs left. Padikkal and Nair were on 81 and 74, respectively. The play couldn’t resume, and Karnataka won by 55 runs as per the V Jayadevan (VJD) method.
Saurashtra into semis
Abhishek Goswami and Sameer Rizvi led the way for UP. They scored 88 each to propel the Rinku Singh-led team to 310. The total might have been higher, but other batters didn’t provide enough support, and Chetan Sakariya claimed a neat 3-fer. While chasing, Harvik Desai smashed an unbeaten hundred, and Prerak Mankad played a fine 67-run knock. Saurashtra still needed 73 runs from 9.5 overs with 7 wickets in hand when play stopped due to rain. Ahead in the game, they were declared the winners by the VJD method and won by 17 runs.
VHT 2025-26 quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 12 | Karnataka vs Mumbai (Quarterfinal 1) | BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 | Karnataka won by 55 runs (VJD method) |
| January 12 | Uttar Pradesh vs Saurashtra (Quarterfinal 2) | BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 | Saurashtra won by 17 runs (VJD method) |
| January 13 | Delhi vs Vidarbha (Quarterfinal 3) | BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 | To be played |
| January 13 | Punjab vs Madhya Pradesh (Quarterfinal 4) | BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 | To be played |
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