In a thrilling encounter at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru, Vidarbha defeated Saurashtra by 38 runs to clinch their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title. The victory, which took place on Sunday, January 18, 2026, was largely powered by a brilliant century from opener Atharva Taide, who was also named the Player of the Match.
Saurashtra won the toss and elected to bowl first, a decision they might have initially regretted as Vidarbha's opening pair, Atharva Taide and Aman Mokhade, forged a solid 80-run partnership. However, Ankur Pawar provided the breakthrough for Saurashtra, dismissing Mokhade for 33. Taide continued to anchor the innings, displaying a mix of caution and aggression. He reached his half-century off 66 balls before accelerating to complete his century in the 31st over, reaching the milestone with a single. This was Taide's first List A century in five years. He eventually departed for a well-made 128 off 118 balls, which included 15 fours and three sixes. Taide's magnificent innings helped Vidarbha reach a total of 317/8 in their 50 overs. Yash Rathod also contributed a valuable 54, forming a 133-run partnership with Taide. Ankur Pawar was the pick of the bowlers for Saurashtra, taking 4 wickets.
Chasing a challenging target, Saurashtra's top order faltered, slumping to 30/2 early on. Prerak Mankad (88) and Chirag Jani (64) then combined for a 93-run partnership to revive the chase. However, Vidarbha's bowlers kept their nerves, with Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute taking 4 and 3 wickets respectively, to restrict Saurashtra to 279 all out in 48.5 overs.
Vidarbha's road to the final saw them overcome several challenges, including a quarter-final win against Delhi and a semi-final victory over Karnataka. For Saurashtra, their journey included a semi-final win against Punjab, powered by an unbeaten century from Vishvaraj Jadeja.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy is an annual List A tournament in India, featuring all 38 teams from the Ranji Trophy. The 2025-26 edition of the tournament was the 33rd edition and ran from December 24, 2025, to January 18, 2026. This year, the teams were divided into Elite and Plate groups, with Vidarbha emerging as the ultimate champion. Aman Mokhade was named the Player of the Series. Harsh Dubey, the captain of Vidarbha, acknowledged the team's hard work and continuous improvement throughout the tournament.
