Mumbai pulled off a tense seven-run win over Himachal Pradesh in a rain-curtailed Vijay Hazare Trophy clash at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground in Jaipur, with stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer and all-rounder Shivam Dube playing decisive roles. Leading the side in the absence of injured Shardul Thakur, Iyer produced a commanding 82 from 53 deliveries to rescue Mumbai from a tricky position. After early losses of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan left Mumbai at 55 for 2, Iyer steadied the innings alongside Musheer Khan. The pair added 82 runs off just 54 balls, keeping the momentum alive in the shortened 33-over contest, which was delayed due to dense fog.
Musheer’s fluent 73 off 51 balls laid a strong platform, following which Iyer combined with Suryakumar Yadav for a brisk 65-run stand off 39 balls. Iyer eventually fell in the 26th over, missing out on a century by 18 runs, having struck 10 fours and three sixes. Mumbai closed on a competitive 299 for 9. Himachal Pradesh began their chase aggressively but lost both openers for ducks, putting immediate pressure on the middle order. Pukhraj Mann counter-attacked with 64 off 41 balls, while wicketkeeper Ankush Bains added 53 from 39. Mayank Dagar’s 64 and Amanpreet Singh’s explosive 42 off 21 balls kept the contest alive, with Amit Kumar chipping in late. With 10 required from the final over, Shivam Dube held his nerve, removing the last two batters to finish with four wickets as Himachal were bowled out for 292 in 32.4 overs. Elsewhere, Hyderabad registered their first win of the season, crushing Bengal by 107 runs on the back of Aman Rao’s double hundred and Mohammed Siraj’s four-wicket haul, despite Shahbaz Ahmed’s fighting century. Punjab cruised past Goa in a chase of 212, with Harnoor Singh unbeaten on 94 and Naman Dhir contributing 68 in a decisive 131-run partnership. Karnataka dominated Rajasthan thanks to hundreds from Mayank Agarwal and Devdutt Padikkal, while Gujarat dismantled Odisha by 233 runs. Kerala impressed with a successful chase led by Vishnu Vinod‘s stunning 162, and Delhi sealed a comfortable win over Railways, powered by Priyansh Arya’s rapid 80.
