Despite a valiant 92 from Yash Dhull and an unbeaten 56 from Manav Suthar, Vidarbha ultimately secured the Irani Cup 2025-26 title.
Match Summary
Vidarbha 342 (Taide 143, Rathod 91, Akash Deep 3-51) and 232 (Mokhade 37, Kamboj 4-34) beat Rest of India 214 (Patidar 66, Abhimanyu 52, Thakur 4-66) and 267 (Dhull 92, Suthar 56*, Dubey 4-73) by 93 runs
Report
Despite a valiant 92 from Yash Dhull in the fourth innings, which briefly sparked hopes of a comeback victory for Rest of India, Vidarbha ultimately overcame their challenge to secure the 2025-26 Irani Cup title. This marks Vidarbha`s third triumph in the tournament since the 2017-18 season.
On the final day, with a daunting 361-run target ahead and resuming at 30 for 2, Rest of India suffered early setbacks. Captain Rajat Patidar was dismissed by Aditya Thakare via a caught-and-bowled, followed shortly by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who edged Darshan Nalkande to the keeper after facing just 19 deliveries.
The other overnight batsman, Ishan Kishan, departed after scoring 35 runs from 64 balls, attempting to hit left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey but holing out to deep midwicket. The situation worsened for Rest of India when Saransh Jain was trapped leg-before-wicket by left-arm spinner Harsh Rakhade, leaving them struggling at 133 for 6.
Nevertheless, 22-year-old Dhull, batting at number six, reignited Rest of India`s hopes with a rapid 92. He formed a crucial 104-run partnership for the seventh wicket with the more defensive Manav Suthar. Dhull`s innings, featuring eight fours and a six from 117 balls, ended when his uppercut off Yash Thakur failed to clear the deep third boundary. A visible mix of frustration and relief was exchanged between the two Yashs following the dismissal. On the very next delivery, Thakur dislodged Anshul Kamboj`s stumps with a sharp inswinging delivery, reducing Rest of India to 237 for 8 and putting Vidarbha on the brink of victory.
Harsh Dubey then bowled Akash Deep with a flighted delivery, ending his aggressive cover drive attempt. Manav Suthar, however, continued his valiant effort, reaching his sixth first-class half-century while batting alongside Gurnoor Brar, the number 11 batsman. Dubey ultimately secured the final wicket, concluding his spell with impressive figures of 4 for 73.
Recapping the earlier stages of the match, Vidarbha`s first innings total of 342 was built on significant contributions from Atharva Taide (143) and Yash Rathod (91). Yash Thakur then starred with a four-wicket haul, dismissing Rest of India for 214, despite fifties from Rajat Patidar and Abhimanyu Easwaran. In Vidarbha`s second innings, Anshul Kamboj`s four wickets restricted them to 232. Ultimately, the target of 361 runs in the fourth innings proved insurmountable for Rest of India.
