Punjab, Vidarbha storm into Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinals with big wins

The Punjab team, led by Prabhsimran Singh, registered an emphatic 183-run win against Rajat Patidar's Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, Delhi, under the leadership of Ishant Sharma, fell 76 runs short of Vidarbha's total of 301 runs.

With these results, the four semifinalists have been confirmed. Karnataka will take on Vidarbha in the first semifinal on January 15, while Saurashtra will face Punjab in the second semifinal on January 16.

Asked to bat after losing the toss, the Punjab cricket team enjoyed a dream start, with captain Prabhsimran Singh forging a 116-run opening partnership with Harnoor Singh. Madhya Pradesh struck back with wickets at regular intervals, but Prabhsimran stood tall, while Nehal Wadhera and Anmolpreet Singh also played valiant knocks as Punjab posted 345 for six in their allotted 50 overs.

Chasing the mammoth target, Rajat Patidar's side was never in contention and collapsed for 162 in just 31.2 overs. Sanvir Singh was the leading wicket-taker for Punjab, with three scalps, while Ramandeep Singh, Krish Bhagat, and Gurnoor Brar picked up two wickets each.

In the fourth quarterfinal played at the BCCI COE Ground 2 in Bengaluru, the Vidarbha cricket team scored 300 for nine in their 50 overs. Yash Rathod played a match-winning knock of 86 runs on a challenging surface, while opener Atharva Taide contributed 62 runs off 72 balls.

Delhi had a disastrous start to the chase, losing four wickets for 80 runs. Anuj Rawat offered some resistance with a 66-run knock, but lacked support from the other end as Delhi were bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs.

Nachiket Bhute was the pick of the Vidarbha bowlers with four wickets, while Harsh Dubey continued his fine form with three wickets, followed by Praful Hinge, who claimed two wickets.

- IANS