New DelhiDevdutt Padikkal, a star batter from Karnataka, has made history by winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–2026.
In the domestic premier 50-over tournament, Padikkal has been in incredible form. With his sixth fifty-plus score in eight innings, he demonstrated his Midas touch.
In the quarterfinal match against Mumbai, the star batsman scored an undefeated 81, helping Karnataka win by 55 runs (VJD method). Padikkal has set yet another record with his 81.
Padikkal became the first batter in history to set a record.Padikkal is now the first cricket player in history to score 700 runs in two separate Vijay Hazare Trophy seasons. In eight innings this season, the 25-year-old has scored 721 runs at an incredible average of 103.
He was also in excellent form during the 2021–2022 season. The Karnataka batter scored 737 runs in seven innings that season.
Padikkal was the first player to score more than 600 runs in three tournament seasons. This season, Padikkal has amassed 605 runs in just six innings. During the 2019–20 season, he scored 609 runs in 11 games. In just seven innings during the 2020–21 season, the Southpaw scored 737 runs.
Saurashtra and Karnataka advance to the VHT semifinalsUsing the VJD method, defending champions Karnataka defeated Mumbai by 54 runs on Monday to secure their fourth consecutive Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal berth.
Karnataka was comfortably ahead by 55 runs at the time of the interruption, with the VJD par score at 132, and they were duly declared winners. Earlier, Mumbai suffered a double blow: their top run scorer, Sarfaraz Khan (303 runs at 75.75), was sidelined due to a finger injury sustained during net practice, and pacer Tushar Deshpande was absent due to personal reasons. The Karnataka captain chose to bowl at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, and Mumbai managed just 254 for 8 without him.
In the other quarterfinal, Saurashtra captain Harvik Desai led from the front with an incredible undefeated century as his team defeated favored Uttar Pradesh by 17 runs using the VJD method in another match affected by rain to guarantee a semifinal berth.
After being sent in, Uttar Pradesh scored a competitive 310 for 8 despite the absence of in-form wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who had joined the Indian squad after Rishabh Pant's injury. When rain forced an early end to play, Saurashtra was cruising at 238 for 3 in 40.1 overs, and they were declared winners using the V. Jayadevan method. After adding a vital 133-run second-wicket partnership with Prerak Mankad (67 off 66 balls), Desai was undefeated on 100 off 116 balls at the stoppage.