Karun Nair’s Vidarbha’s dream run ends as Karnataka wins Vijay Hazare Trophy for 5th time

Karnataka wins the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 after winning against Karun Nair-led Vidarbha in the finals by 36 runs at Vadodara International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. This is the fifth title Karnataka has won, becoming the most successful side to win the tournament along with Tamil Nadu’s five titles. Batting first, Karnataka set a challenging total of 348/6 and while chasing, Vidarbha bundled out at 312 after 48.3 overs. Karun Nair ended the tournament as the highest scorer, but his heroics didn’t come in the final.

Smarn’s Century and Manohar

The innings were built around stellar performances from their middle order, particularly Ravichandran Smaran’s century and Abhinav Manohar’s quick fifty. Ravichandran Smaran took charge and played a captain’s knock, scoring a brilliant 101 off 92 balls, featuring 7 fours and 3 sixes. Smaran anchored the innings and formed a crucial partnership with Krishnan Shrijith, who contributed a valuable 78 off 74 balls. Their partnership laid the foundation for a significant total. Abhinav Manohar then delivered a blistering 79 off just 42 balls, with 10 fours and 4 sixes, providing the innings with a late surge.

Vidarbha bowling struggles

Vidarbha’s bowlers tried hard but were unable to break the crucial partnerships at the right moments. Nachiket Bhute and Darshan Nalkande took 2 wickets each, but they were expensive, giving away 70 and 67 runs, respectively. Yash Thakur managed 1 wicket, but even his 10 overs leaked 80 runs.

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Vidarbha’s chase didn’t go well

Chasing a challenging target of 349, Vidarbha started positively, with Dhruv Shorey scoring an outstanding 110 off 111 balls, including 8 fours and 2 sixes. Despite his performance, Vidarbha’s middle order failed to capitalise on his efforts. Yash Rathod contributed 22 runs quickly, but Vidarbha lost vital wickets regularly, slowing their momentum. Vidarbha’s captain Karun Nair failed to score big runs in the finals as he put on 27 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final. Despite his efforts, Vidarbha fell short against Karnataka. Previously, Nair had an exceptional tournament, scoring 752 runs.

Karnataka’s bowling strength

Karnataka’s bowlers maintained pressure with disciplined bowling. Vasuki Koushik was the pick, taking 3 wickets for 47 runs in his 10 overs. Prasidh Krishna and Abhilash Shetty also claimed 3 wickets each, ensuring Vidarbha couldn’t form dangerous partnerships in the middle overs. Their efforts limited Vidarbha to 312 runs in 48.2 overs.

Harsh Dubey’s quick 63 off 30 balls kept Vidarbha’s hopes alive towards the end, but his heroic effort was not enough. Vidarbha’s lower order crumbled, failing to build on Dubey’s innings, and they were eventually all out for 312. Karnataka’s strong batting, coupled with effective bowling, sealed the victory, showcasing a comprehensive team performance to clinch the trophy.