Vijay Hazare Trophy: Bengal bundle out Jammu and Kashmir for just 63 Runs, win with 243 balls to Spare!

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Bengal produced a clinical demolition of Jammu and Kashmir in Group B of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite 2025-26, chasing down a meagre target of 64 with nine wickets in hand at Sanosara Cricket Ground A in Rajkot on Wednesday (December 31).

Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Bengal's pace battery unleashed havoc on a fragile J&K top order, bundling them out for just 63 in 20.4 overs-the lowest total in the tournament so far. Abishek Porel and Sudip Kumar Gharami then steered the chase with an unbroken 59-run stand, wrapping up victory in only 9.3 overs, with 243 deliveries to spare.

J&K's innings crumbled from the outset against Bengal's relentless seam attack. Mohammed Shami struck twice in his economical spell of 6-2-14-2, including the early scalp of opener Qamran Iqbal for a golden duck and Yawer Hassan lbw for 1.

Akash Deep stole the show with a devastating 4 for 32, dismantling the middle order by trapping M Ashwin lbw for a duck, cleaning up Abdul Samad for 8, and removing Yudhvir Singh (7) and captain Paras Dogra (19) to seal the collapse.

Mukesh Kumar complemented with 4 wickets as well, snaring Shubham Khajuria (12), Rydham Sharma (7), Abid Mushtaq (2), and Auqib Nabi (0) in a display of precision that left J&K's batsmen shell-shocked. No partnership lasted beyond 15 runs, with Dogra's gritty 46-ball stay the lone resistance amid five single-digit scores.

In reply, Bengal lost only captain Abhimanyu Easwaran as Auqib Nabi picked his wicket, but Porel's aggressive 26-ball knock, featuring 3 fours and a six, set the tone at a strike rate of 115.38. Gharami accelerated with five boundaries in his 27-ball 25, ensuring the chase stayed stress-free for Bengal.

Mukesh Kumar won the Player of the Match award for his excellent spell, as Bengal continue their winning run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.