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Bihar defeated Manipur in Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Plate final to secure promotion in Elite group next season. (PHOTO: X/BCCI DOMESTIC)
Bihar capitalised on opener Piyush Singh’s magnificent second-innings double century and incisive bowling spells from Suraj Kashyap and Himanshu Singh to hammer Manipur by a massive 568 runs in the Plate final, sealing a triumphant return to the Ranji Trophy Elite Group on Monday.
Bihar, whose Ranji Trophy journey has been marked by turbulence, had briefly broken into the Elite Group in the 2022-23 season before slipping back to the Plate Group in 2024-25.
Now restored to the top tier, they are pressing ahead with a rebuilding phase under skipper Sakibul Gani, anchored by the promise of teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
On Monday, Bihar set Manipur an improbable target of 764 after Raghuvendra Pratap Singh fell agonisingly short of a century, dismissed for his overnight score of 90, prompting the declaration of the second innings at 505 for 6.
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Bihar, who had scored 522 in the first innings and then dismissed Manipur for 264, got rid of their opponents for 195 in the second essay, with spinners Suraj Kumar Kashyap (3/32) and Himanshu Singh (3/49) taking three wickets each on the fifth and final day.
The architects of the emphatic victory were skipper Gani (108) and Bipin Saurabh (143), who struck fine centuries in the first innings, and Piyush Singh, who followed it up with an unbeaten 216 off 322 balls in the second innings as Bihar piled on the runs against a hapless Manipur.
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Bihar declared after just nine balls on the final day, with Raghuvendra unable to add to the team’s overnight total of 505, prompting Gani to call an early declaration and give his side a full day to dismantle Manipur.
Bihar’s bowlers left Manipur in deep trouble at 50 for 5 inside 14 overs, a collapse that worsened to 70 for 7 by the 23rd, before a rearguard 102-ball 74 from teenager Pheiroijam Jotin briefly frustrated the attack and delayed the inevitable.
WINNERS 🏆
Congratulations to Bihar on winning the Ranji Trophy Plate Final 2025-26! 👏
They beat Manipur by 568 runs in Patna 👌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/pAZXaWU4Jn
#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/JcZzsCqwci
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 26, 2026
The 19-year-old Jotin then added 83 runs for the eighth wicket with L. Kishan Singha, who made 30 off 76 balls, as the pair briefly appeared determined to deny Bihar an outright victory.
Once the partnership was broken in the 44th over, with pacer Akash Raj accounting for Kishan Singha, the outright win became a foregone conclusion. Jotin fell a few overs later, extinguishing the last semblance of resistance in Manipur’s batting.
Earlier this month, Bihar had also secured promotion to the Elite League in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, defeating Manipur by six wickets in the final.
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Brief Scores: Bihar 522 and 505 for 6 decl (Piyush Singh 216, Raghuvendra Pratap Singh 90; Pheiroijam Jotin 3/85) defeated Manipur 264 and 195 in 56.1 overs (Pheiroijam Jotin 74; Prashant Singh 2/51, S Kashyap 3/32, H Singh 3/49) by 568 runs.
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