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Aman Mokhade and Darshan Nalkande star as Vidarbha defeat Karnataka to qualify for Vijay Hazare Trophy final. (PTI)
Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal and Vidarbha’s Aman Mokhade walked into the first Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 semi-final at Bengaluru’s CoE ground, separated by 78 runs at the top of the tournament run charts.
On Thursday, it was the latter who emerged with both the numbers and the result. While Padikkal, the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 721 runs coming into the game, was dismissed for four, Mokhade’s decisive 138 off 122 balls not only took him past the left-hander but also helped Vidarbha seal a place in the final by six wickets.
Chasing 281 runs, Vidarbha lost Atharva Taide early when he was dismissed for six in the fourth over by Abhilash Shetty. The onus then fell on Mokhade and Dhruv Shorey to rebuild. The pair negotiated an incisive opening burst from Shetty and Vidwath Kaverappa, with runs hard to come by early on as they focused on strike rotation and minimising risk.
Through to the final! 👏
Vidarbha with a six-wicket victory against Karnataka in the first semi-final 👌#VijayHazareTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/gQOhUSbb77
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 15, 2026
Mokhade and Shorey brought up their 50-run stand in the 17th over as Karnataka searched for a second breakthrough. That wicket finally came in the 24th over when Shetty returned to dismiss Shorey for 47, ending a 98-run stand.
However, Mokhade, who had reached his half-century one over earlier, kept things steady, balancing caution with timely aggression, ensuring the required run rate never rose to alarming levels.
Karnataka were further hampered when Vijaykumar Vyshak had to leave the field after suffering a concussion. His replacement, Manvanth Kumar, struggled to make an impact, allowing Vidarbha to seize the initiative.
Ravikumar Samarth, who played all his cricket with Karnataka for a decade from 2013–14 to 2023–24, joined Mokhade in the middle, and the pair built steadily on the platform. With leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal unable to extract sufficient purchase from the surface, Karnataka were forced to rely on their pacers.
On an easing pitch, Mokhade and Samarth continued to chip away at the target with minimal risk. Mokhade brought up his hundred in the 35th over with a leg-glance for four off Vidyadhar Patil. The right-hander opened up after reaching the landmark and, in the company of Samarth, upped the ante under the lights. Mokhade eventually fell with 27 runs still needed, which were knocked off by Samarth and Rohit Binkar.
A 5⃣th 💯 this season 🔥
Watch 📹 snippets of Aman Mokhade's solid century in the semis against Karnataka 💪
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/jfwhfewAsV#VijayHazareTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/kULAinqwiQ
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 15, 2026
Earlier, a 113-run fourth-wicket stand between Karun Nair and wicketkeeper-batter KL Shrijith formed the bedrock of Karnataka reaching 280 all out after 49.4 overs. The pair rebuilt the innings from 74/3 in contrasting but complementary styles.
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Nair stayed largely orthodox, trusting his defence and focusing on strike rotation, while Shrijith provided the release with more audacious strokeplay. The contrast was evident in the 28th over when Shrijith reverse-swept Dubey for a boundary.
Fantastic Five 🖐️
Watch 📽️ Darshan Nalkande's brilliant 5⃣-wicket haul which helped Vidarbha bowl Karnataka out for 280 🔥
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/sUNylzVrzX#VijayHazareTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/jBbJtmY02d
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 15, 2026
Vidarbha’s excellent new-ball bowling set the tone. Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute created sustained pressure, with the biggest blow coming in the fourth over when Padikkal fell for four to a lovely outswinger from Thakur.
Despite the platform laid by Nair and Shrijith, Vidarbha found a way back through Darshan Nalkande, who finished with 5/48 from 10 overs, removing Nair for 76 to bring an end to the decisive partnership.
Brief Scores: Karnataka 280 all out in 49.4 overs (Nair 76, Shrijith 54; Nalkande 5/48) lost to Vidarbha 284/4 in 46.2 overs (Mokhade 138, Samarth 76 not out) by six wickets.
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