Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26: Arshin Kulkarni’s ton powers Maharashtra to big win over Mumbai

Arshin Kulkarni made optimum use of reprieves and went on to score his second List-A century as Maharashtra halted Mumbai’s unbeaten run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a 128-run victory.

After Maharashtra opted to bat on a foggy Saturday, openers Kulkarni (114, 114b, 11×4, 3×6) and Prithvi Shaw (71, 75b, 10×4, 1×6) set the tone with a 140-run partnership.

With captain Shardul Thakur limping off the ground after bowling just six overs, Mumbai lost the plot. And, as the surface eased out, Shaw and Kulkarni flexed their muscle as Maharashtra put up a mammoth 366 for four.

The young Kulkarni held fort, while Shaw looked set for a hundred, before being trapped leg-before by Musheer Khan, who teased the batter with an animated celebration.

However, the happiness was short-lived as Maharashtra regrouped with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s gritty 52-ball-66. A sloppy fielding show let Mumbai down as it dropped more than five catches, and with none of the Mumbai bowlers making an impact, Kulkarni and Gaikwad’s 108-run partnership put Maharashtra on a firm footing.

Even though Kulkarni was caught at cover off a Tushar Deshpande delivery and Shams Mulani cleaned up Gaikwad, Maharashtra managed to put up a big total, riding on Ramakrishna Ghosh’s unbeaten 27-ball 64. The all-rounder spared none of the bowlers and picked up 30 runs off Sylvester D’Souza.

Chasing a tall total, Mumbai was never in the game. Yashasvi Jaiswal lasted just nine deliveries, and Musheer fell for a duck off Pradeep Dadhe. As Mumbai lost two wickets for just four runs, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Siddhesh Lad rebuilt with fifties, and forged a 99-run stand for the third wicket, before Satyajeet Bachhav trapped the latter leg before.

With Sarfaraz Khan missing out due to stiffness in the leg, Mumbai’s middle-order crumbled as neither debutant Chinmay Sutar nor Hardik Tamore could show resilience. Raghuvanshi (92, 88b) fought a lone battle before falling eight runs short of what could have been his maiden List-A century.

Shardul returned to bat despite struggling to take singles. However, he lasted just five deliveries, and with his exit, Mumbai’s hopes also went up in smoke.

Published on Jan 03, 2026