Vijay Hazare Trophy: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Vidarbha, Baroda seal direct quarterfinal spots

Utkarsh Singh's century highlighted Jharkhand's 31-run victory over Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Sunday. Despite the win, Jharkhand missed the quarterfinals.
Singh's impressive 102 runs off 120 balls propelled Jharkhand to a total of 320/7. Goa's Darshan Misal also shone with a brilliant 151 off 111 balls. However, Goa fell short, finishing at 289/9.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Vidarbha, and Baroda secured direct quarterfinal berths by topping their respective groups.
Gujarat maintained their perfect record in Group A, defeating Odisha by 100 runs. They ended the group stage with all wins, securing their quarterfinal spot.
Gujarat posted 252 all out in 47.5 overs, with notable contributions from Urvil Patel (45), Hemang Patel (48), and Ravi Bishnoi (40).
Odisha were then bowled out for 152. Bishnoi starred with the ball, taking 4/17, while Chintan Gaja claimed 3/28.
Haryana comfortably defeated Manipur by six wickets, chasing down the target with 94 balls remaining. Manipur had set a target of 210/9.
At Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, Railways defeated Maharashtra by 32 runs, but the result didn’t prevent Maharashtra from finishing atop Group B.
Railways set a challenging target of 284/7, powered by half-centuries from Sahab Yuvraj Singh (79) and Suraj Ahuja (55). In response, Maharashtra were bowled out for 252, with Purnank Tyagi taking 5/57 and Raj Choudhary contributing 3/43.
Meanwhile, second-placed Rajasthan also ended their group stage on a losing note, suffering a surprising six-run defeat to Sikkim at DY Patil Stadium.
Sikkim posted 275/5, led by Parth Palawat's 80 and Ashish Thapa's 73. Despite lower-order half-centuries from Manav Suthar and Kukna Ajay Singh, Rajasthan fell short, managing 269. Ankur Malik was Rajasthan’s standout bowler, claiming 4/35.
Sunday's Group C matches in Ahmedabad saw no upsets as Karnataka and Punjab secured dominant victories over Nagaland and Puducherry, respectively. However, domestic giants Mumbai fell short of a knockout berth, finishing third in the group.
In the format, the top two teams from each group advance to the knockouts, with the top five group winners earning direct quarter-final spots.
Karnataka cruised past Nagaland by nine wickets, chasing down a target of 206. Veteran opener Mayank Agarwal starred with an unbeaten 116 off 119 balls, while Shreyas Gopal shone with the ball, claiming 4/24.
Punjab, after posting a formidable 338/9, bowled out Puducherry for 171 to secure a massive 167-run win. The Punjab innings featured five half-centuries, while Arshdeep Singh (4/19) and Raghu Sharma (4/37) delivered impressive bowling performances.
Meanwhile, third-placed Mumbai managed a consolation win over Saurashtra, chasing down a target of 290 with 24 balls to spare for a five-wicket victory.
In their Group D clash in Vizianagaram, Vidarbha stormed into the quarterfinals with a commanding 10-wicket victory over Mizoram, bundling them out for a mere 72. Harsh Dubey starred with the ball, taking 4/20, while Apoorv Wankhade smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 30 balls to seal the win.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu, the other qualifier from the group, secured a 73-run victory over Chhattisgarh. After posting a strong total of 301, powered by contributions from Baba Indrajith (75) and Vijay Shankar (71), Tamil Nadu's bowlers, led by Varun Chakravarthy (3/34), restricted Chhattisgarh to 228.
Baroda secured a five-wicket victory over Delhi after dismissing them for 180. Delhi opener Arpit Rana top-scored with 75, but Baroda successfully chased down the target with 16 balls to spare.
Despite a six-wicket defeat to Madhya Pradesh, Bengal advanced to the knockouts as the second-placed team, having registered four wins during the group stage.