Bihar Clinch Ranji Trophy Plate Title, Earn Promotion to Elite Group

Bihar registered a commanding all-round performance to crush Manipur by 568 runs in the Ranji Trophy Plate 2025-26 final at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, clinching the Plate title and earning promotion to the Elite Group next season.

Batting first, Bihar piled up 522, led by Bipin Saurabh's 143 and Gani's 108, with Suraj Kashyap adding 83. Manipur replied with 264, Ronald Longjam top-scoring with 79, as Bihar took a big first-innings lead, a phase Gani felt proved decisive.

"Manipur had a very good start, but the partnership between Bipin and me eased the pressure on us a bit. After that, our bowlers bowled really well and restricted them to around 200-250 runs (264), which gave us a good lead and put us in a strong position," Gani told IANS.

Reflecting on the conditions, the Bihar skipper acknowledged Manipur's early dominance with the ball and credited his lower order for turning the game around.

"Talking about the wicket, when we came in to bat first, the pitch was helpful for the bowlers. Our batting was steady, but we were 80/5 at one stage, and Manipur bowled very well then. Still, our lower-order batsmen came together, handled the situation, kept the momentum going, and took us past 500 runs," he said.

Bihar then tightened their grip in the second innings, declaring at 505/6 on the back of Piyush Singh's unbeaten 216, supported by Raghuvendra Pratap Singh (90) and Khalid Alam (81). Set an improbable target of 764, Manipur were bowled out for 195, with Bihar's bowlers, led by Suraj Kashyap and Himanshu Singh, sealing a massive 568-run victory.

The chase proved too steep for Manipur, who were bundled out for 195, as Bihar's bowlers once again dominated to complete one of the biggest wins in Ranji Trophy Plate history.

On qualifying for the Elite Group, Gani stressed that Bihar would stick to the same approach that brought them success in the Plate Group.

"Just like we played in the Plate Group, we want to play the same way in the Elite Group. We are going there to win. We will play well and come back with victories. All the teams in the Elite Group are strong, and we will also give our best performances."

The captain also highlighted Bihar's recent performances at the top level, dismissing the notion that the team struggles in elite competition.

"For the last two years, we were already in the Elite Group and won two matches each season. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, we even defeated UP. It's not like we always lose there. Every year, we win two matches but miss out on points. That's why this year we dropped down a bit, but now we've climbed back up to the Elite Group."

Gani concluded by acknowledging the support of the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), crediting their timely preparations for the team's success.

"BCA helped us a lot. About a week before the final, they organised a camp for us, and we are now seeing the results. Everyone had been working hard for a week in advance," he concluded.

- IANS