The sixth round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 took place on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, with matches spread across India. Several star players returned to action, making this round one of the most anticipated of the tournament. Here’s everything you need to know about the day’s cricketing action.
Top Batting Performances
| Player | Team | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Against | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aman Rao | Hyderabad | 200* | 154 | 12 | 13 | Bengal | Rajkot |
| Vishnu Vinod | Kerala | 162* | 84 | 13 | 14 | Puducherry | Ahmedabad |
| Mayank Agarwal | Karnataka | 100 | 107 | 9 | 3 | Rajasthan | Ahmedabad |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Karnataka | 91 | 82 | 12 | 2 | Rajasthan | Ahmedabad |
| Shreyas Iyer | Mumbai | 82 | 53 | 10 | 3 | Himachal Pradesh | Jaipur |
| Priyansh Arya | Delhi | 80 | 41 | 12 | 3 | Railways | Bengaluru |
| Musheer Khan | Mumbai | 73 | 51 | 8 | 3 | Himachal Pradesh | Jaipur |
Top Bowling Performances
| Player | Team | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Against | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shabbir Khan | Bihar | 5 | 17 | 7 | Manipur | Ranchi |
| Ayush Badoni | Delhi | 10 | 30 | 3 | Railways | Bengaluru |
| Navdeep Saini | Delhi | 5.4 | 30 | 3 | Railways | Bengaluru |
| Mayank Markande | Punjab | 08 | 29 | 3 | Goa | Jaipur |
| Mohammed Shami | Bengal | 10 | 70 | 3 | Hyderabad | Rajkot |
Match Results Summary
| Match | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi vs Railways | Bengaluru | Delhi won by 6 wickets |
| Kerala vs Puducherry | Ahmedabad | Kerala won by 8 wickets |
| Bihar vs Manipur (Plate Final) | Ranchi | Bihar won by 6 wickets |
| Punjab vs Goa | Jaipur | Punjab won |
| Karnataka vs Rajasthan | Ahmedabad | Karnataka won by 150 runs |
| Gujarat vs Odisha | Rajkot | Gujarat won by 233 runs |
| Saurashtra vs Services | Bengaluru | Saurashtra won by 111 runs |
Aman Rao Smashes Historic Double Century
Aman Rao, Hyderabad’s young opener, left everyone at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot in disbelief. In just his third List A game, the 21-year-old hammered a jaw-dropping double century against Bengal, and he did it facing bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, and Mukesh Kumar—guys who play for India. No nerves, just pure confidence.
Aman’s story is wild. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, he decided to chase his cricket dreams in India. He opened the batting and kicked things off with a strong 104-run partnership alongside Rahul Singh Gahlaut, who made a quick 65 from 54 balls. After that, Aman kept going, adding another 87 runs with skipper Tilak Varma.
Then things got crazy. Aman raced from 150 to 200 in just 20 balls. He reached his double hundred with a huge six off Akash Deep on the very last ball of the innings. By the end, Hyderabad had put up 352 for 5, and Aman was still unbeaten on 200 from 154 balls, smashing 12 fours and 13 sixes.
Here’s the kicker—120 of those runs came against the Indian pace trio. His 200 not out is now the highest score ever by a Hyderabad player in List A cricket. It’s only the ninth double century in Vijay Hazare Trophy history, and the second this season after Swastik Samal’s 212 against Saurashtra.
Aman is just the 15th Indian man to score a List A double century. The Rajasthan Royals picked him up for only Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction, and after this knock, that price tag looks like a total steal.
Shreyas Iyer Marks Comeback with Brilliant Fifty
Shreyas Iyer came back to competitive cricket after nearly three months away with a spleen injury, but you wouldn’t know it from the way he played. Leading Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur, he looked sharp—timing the ball sweetly, hitting hard, just like old times.
The match didn’t get off to a smooth start, though. Thick fog rolled in, so everyone waited around for the toss, and when things finally cleared up, both teams got only 33 overs. Mumbai had a rough beginning. Yashasvi Jaiswal went for 15, Sarfaraz Khan followed for 21, and suddenly they were 55 for 2. That’s when Iyer walked in at number four.
He lit up the place. Iyer smashed 82 off just 53 balls, blasting ten boundaries and three sixes—absolutely flying at a strike rate of 154.72. He brought up his fifty in only 36 balls. Alongside Musheer Khan, who chipped in with a quick 73 off 51, they put together 82 runs in just 54 balls. After Musheer got out, Iyer teamed up with Suryakumar Yadav for another 65 runs in 39 balls. SKY looked dangerous too, thumping two sixes in his 24 off 18, but couldn’t kick on.
Shivam Dube and Sairaj Patil chipped in with solid cameos—20 and 25 runs—helping Mumbai rack up 299 for 9 in their 33 overs.
This was just the second step in Iyer’s return-to-play routine, following BCCI’s medical guidelines. With the India vs New Zealand ODI series around the corner on January 11, his explosive knock was a loud reminder to the selectors: he’s ready.
Delhi Crushes Railways in One-Sided Contest
Delhi showed up sharp at the KSCA Ground II in Bengaluru, cruising past Railways with a six-wicket win under Rishabh Pant’s captaincy. Right from the start, Delhi’s bowlers were on the money. They struck early, kept the pressure on, and never let Railways find their feet.
What really stood out? Six different Delhi bowlers took wickets. That’s some profound depth. Ayush Badoni and Navdeep Saini led the way with three each, while Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Harsh Tyagi, and Nitish Rana each grabbed one. Railways just couldn’t catch a break and folded for 179, with only Kush Marathe putting up a fight—he made 51 from 66 balls.
The chase? Delhi made it look easy. Priyansh Arya came out swinging, smashing 80 off just 41 balls. He peppered the boundary with 12 fours and three sixes, and he raced to his fifty in just 25 deliveries. Then Pant stepped in and kept the momentum going, hammering 24 from just 9 balls—three sixes and a four for good measure. Nitish Rana finished things off, steady on 38 from 28 balls, as Delhi chased down the target in just 21.4 overs. With this win, Delhi’s still very much in the hunt for the knockouts in Elite Group D. They’re sitting pretty at the top of their group now.
Vishnu Vinod Lights Up Ahmedabad with Record-Breaking Knock
Vishnu Vinod put on an absolute show for Kerala against Puducherry at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He hammered an unbeaten 162 off just 84 balls, and honestly, the bowlers looked lost.
Kerala was chasing 248 and things didn’t start well—both openers, Sanju Samson and captain Rohan Kunnummal, got out within the first five overs. That’s when Vinod walked in and just took over. He smashed 14 sixes and 13 fours, sending the ball everywhere.
He reached his hundred in 63 balls, then just tore into the bowling—he went from 100 to 150 in only 18 balls. That’s the third-fastest 150 by an Indian in List A cricket, just behind Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Dinesh Karthik. Baba Aparajith was steady at the other end, and together they put on an unbeaten 222-run partnership for the third wicket.
Kerala chased down the target in only 29 overs, with a massive 186 balls to spare. Vinod also joined the exclusive club of players with 100 sixes in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, alongside Manish Pandey and Ruturaj Gaikwad—and now, he’s actually gone past Gaikwad’s tally.
Devdutt Padikkal Creates History Despite Missing Fifth Century
Devdutt Padikkal came heartbreakingly close to his fifth hundred of the tournament, falling for 91 from 82 balls. Manav Suthar, spinning one past him, sent his stumps flying. Still, Padikkal stole the show in his own way. This knock made him the first player to smash over 600 runs in three separate Vijay Hazare Trophy seasons—he did it in 2019-20, pulled it off again in 2020-21, and now, after just six innings this year, he’s already at 605 runs, averaging a staggering 100.83.
Padikkal and skipper Mayank Agarwal got Karnataka off to a flyer, piling on 184 runs together in just 171 balls. Agarwal cashed in too, notching his second century of the tournament—100 off 107 balls, hitting nine boundaries and clearing the ropes three times.
KL Rahul chipped in with 25 from 28 before Suthar got him too. Karnataka finished at 324 for 7. Prasidh Krishna then tore through Rajasthan’s lineup, grabbing five wickets, and Karnataka cruised to victory by 150 runs. The defending champs are still very much in the hunt for the knockouts.
Shubman Gill Returns but Fails to Make an Impact
Shubman Gill finally turned up for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, facing Goa in Jaipur. He missed the last match because of food poisoning, so fans had been waiting to see him back in action.
But his return didn’t go as planned. Gill managed just 11 runs from 12 balls before Suyash caught him off Koushik’s bowling. Punjab were in trouble at 55 for 2, chasing 212. Their captain, Prabhsimran Singh, had already fallen early, just 2 runs from 11 balls.
National selector RP Singh was there at the KL Saini Stadium, watching closely with the ODI squad for the New Zealand series on the horizon. Even with Gill gone early, Harnoor Singh stepped up. He stayed unbeaten on 52 from 54 balls and guided Punjab home, keeping them in a strong spot in Group C.
Earlier, Punjab’s bowlers set things up. Mayank Markande grabbed three wickets. Arshdeep Singh, Sukhdeep Bajwa, and Krish Bhagat took two each. For Goa, Lalit Yadav made a fighting 54 from 59 balls before Arshdeep sent him back. Goa ended up all out for 211 in just 33.3 overs.
Shabbir Khan Takes Hat-Trick as Bihar Win Plate Final
Bihar clinched their spot in the Elite Group for next season after beating Manipur in the Plate Final at Ranchi. Fast bowler Shabbir Khan absolutely stole the show—this was easily the best day of his career.
Manipur started with the bat because Bihar won the toss and decided to bowl first. Shabbir wasted no time. He knocked over opener Karnajit with just his fourth ball, and Manipur had only five runs on the board.
But the real fireworks came in Shabbir’s second over. He ripped through Manipur’s lineup, grabbing a hat-trick—three wickets in a row—getting Langlonyamba, Santosh, and Johnson out on the second, third, and fourth balls. Then, just to rub it in, he took another wicket on the last ball, dismissing Priyojit. Four wickets in one over, with Manipur stuck at 19 runs.
Shabbir wasn’t finished. He came back and got Jameson next, bringing his tally to six wickets. He wrapped up with insane figures: 6 wickets for just 17 runs in five overs, including a maiden. Manipur’s batting never recovered after that.
Chasing a small target, Bihar made it look easy. They won by six wickets, took home the Plate trophy, and sealed their promotion to the Elite Group for the 2026-27 season.
Other Notable Performances
Bihar clinched their spot in the Elite Group for next season after beating Manipur in the Plate Final at Ranchi. Fast bowler Shabbir Khan absolutely stole the show—this was easily the best day of his career.
Manipur started with the bat because Bihar won the toss and decided to bowl first. Shabbir wasted no time. He knocked over opener Karnajit with just his fourth ball, and Manipur had only five runs on the board.
But the real fireworks came in Shabbir’s second over. He ripped through Manipur’s lineup, grabbing a hat-trick—three wickets in a row—getting Langlonyamba, Santosh, and Johnson out on the second, third, and fourth balls. Then, just to rub it in, he took another wicket on the last ball, dismissing Priyojit. Four wickets in one over, with Manipur stuck at 19 runs.
Shabbir wasn’t finished. He came back and got Jameson next, bringing his tally to six wickets. He wrapped up with insane figures: 6 wickets for just 17 runs in five overs, including a maiden. Manipur’s batting never recovered after that.
Chasing a small target, Bihar made it look easy. They won by six wickets, took home the Plate trophy, and sealed their promotion to the Elite Group for the 2026-27 season.
Star Players on Display
Round 6 saw some big names back on the field. Ravindra Jadeja played for Saurashtra against Services in Bengaluru, getting ready for the New Zealand ODI series. Ishan Kishan captained Jharkhand as they took on Madhya Pradesh. Mohammed Shami rolled up his sleeves for Bengal and picked up 3 wickets for 70 runs against Hyderabad.
These matches give players the match practice they need before the India vs New Zealand ODIs kick off on January 11 in Vadodara.
There’s just one league round left, and teams are really fighting for those last knockout spots. Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh haven’t lost a game yet—they’ve both won all six so far.
