Why was Punjab penalised five runs against Saurashtra during Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal?

Punjab was penalised five runs after its batters kept running on the pitch despite repeated warnings from the umpires during the Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal against Saurashtra in Bengaluru on Friday.

As a result of the penalty, Saurashtra’s 292-run chase began with five runs on the board for the batting team.

Earlier, after being asked to bat, Punjab posted 291 in 50 overs, with Anmolpreet Singh smashing a century and skipper Prabhsimran Singh scoring 87 off 89 balls. The duo struck a 109-run alliance for the second wicket, after which Punjab suffered a collapse, losing eight wickets for just 91 runs.

Barring Ramandeep Singh’s 42, no other batter in the middle and lower-middle order could score in double digits. For Saurashtra, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya picked four wickets, with Ankur Panwar and Chirag Jani also chipping in with two scalps each.

Punjab and Saurashtra are vying for a spot in the final.

On Thursday, Vidarbha beat defending champion Karnataka to book its berth in the summit clash.

Published on Jan 16, 2026