New Delhi, November 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Fast bowler Saurabh Dubey claimed four wickets to guide Vidarbha to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Goa, while Tamil Nadu edged past Railways by six runs in a thrilling encounter on the opening day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2026.
At Jadavpur University Campus Ground 2 in Kolkata, Vidarbha captain Atharva Taide won the toss and elected to field. His bowlers restricted Goa to 146/9 in 20 overs, with Deepraj Gaonkar top-scoring with 39. Dubey returned figures of 4-30 and was named Player of the Match.
Vidarbha lost opener Danish Malewar early in the chase, but Taide and R. Samarth put the team firmly in control with a 114-run partnership for the second wicket. Taide scored 52, while Samarth contributed 53. Vedant Jajoo remained unbeaten on 23 and Yash Kadam on nine as Vidarbha completed the chase in 17.3 overs.
In another match, Tamil Nadu secured a hard-fought six-run win over Railways after posting 172/7. Shahrukh Khan scored an unbeaten 46 off 30 balls, while Rajkumar Ravichandran provided a late boost with a 13-ball 31.
Railways appeared to be out of contention at 79/6, with Varun Chakaravarthy taking two wickets and conceding just five runs in his two overs. However, Zuber Ali (46 off 37 balls) and Toufik Mondal (57 off 22 balls) revived the chase with a 69-run seventh-wicket partnership off just 31 deliveries.
Mondal was dismissed in the 15th over, but Railways continued to threaten through Ali and Kunal. With 19 runs required from the final three overs, Gurjapneet Singh held his nerve in the last over, defending 11 runs to seal the victory for Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh defeated Assam by 16 runs under the VJD method. Mridul Surroch’s 52 helped Himachal Pradesh post 176/6 in 20 overs. Assam had reached 119/6 in 15 overs before bad weather interrupted play, with the result going in Himachal Pradesh’s favour.
Rajasthan also registered a six-wicket victory over Uttar Pradesh. Sameer Rizvi’s unbeaten 74 off 35 balls helped Uttar Pradesh reach 171/6. Rajasthan chased down the target in 15.4 overs, led by Abhijeet Tomar’s 63 and Rohan Rajbhar’s 48.
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