Patna: Bihar produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat Manipur by a massive 568 runs in the final of the Ranji Trophy Plate Division 2025–26 at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna Monday, clinching the title and securing promotion to the Elite Group for the next season.
Batting first, Bihar piled up a formidable 522 in their first innings, riding on strong contributions from several batters. Wicketkeeper-batter Bipin Saurabh led the charge with a fluent 143, while skipper Sakibul Gani scored a composed 108. Suraj Kashyap also played a valuable knock of 83, helping Bihar post a mammoth total.
For Manipur, Rex Rajkumar was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, while Pheiroijam Jotin and Bishworjit Konthoujam claimed two wickets each.
In reply, Manipur were bowled out for 264 in their first innings. Ronald Longjam top-scored with a patient 79, but lacked support from the rest of the batting lineup. Suraj Kashyap finished with figures of 3/34, while Prashant Singh and Himanshu Singh picked up two wickets apiece.
With a first-innings lead of 258 runs, Bihar tightened their grip on the contest in the second innings. Opener Piyush Singh produced a monumental knock, remaining unbeaten on 216 off 322 balls, anchoring the innings. He was well supported by Raghuvendra Pratap Singh, who struck a brisk 90, and Khalid Alam, who added a solid 81. Bihar declared their second innings at 505 for six, setting Manipur a difficult target of 764 runs.
Chasing the huge total, Manipur were bundled out for 195 in their second innings. Pheiroijam Jotin showed resistance with a fighting 74, while L Kishan Singha contributed 30. However, Bihar’s bowlers once again dominated the match, led by Suraj Kashyap, who claimed three wickets for 32. Himanshu Singh also impressed with three wickets, as Manipur collapsed inside 57 overs.
Bihar recently performed well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, defeating Manipur in the plate group final to get promoted to the Elite Group.
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