The second day of the third round of the Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 saw several players putting in their hard work for better results with the bat and ball in hand. Jharkhand was at a strong position against Punjab, while on the other hand, Mumbai was inches closer to getting to Haryana’s score of 364 runs.

On the third and final day of the round, Jharkhand set a massive target of 403 runs in 45 overs for the Punjab side, who started quickly and raced away to 25/0 in their three overs. Prabhsimran Singh celebrated a fine half-century in just 30 balls as they went off to a flying start to 86/0 in nine overs.

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Indian Railways were able to defend 112 runs in the fourth innings as the Baroda side was bundled out for 90 runs. Three of their bowlers took three-wicket hauls, including Zubair Ali Khan (3/22), Raj Chaudhury (3/29), and Akash Pandey (3/25). Bengal beat the TNCA XI by six wickets, with Abhishek Porel smashing 50 runs in just 42 balls.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 3: All Scores from Day 3

TNCA President’s XI also got the better of the Chhattisgarh side by 59 runs. Their teenage off-spinner, J Hemchudeshan, who took a six-wicket haul in the first innings, got another five-fer in the second. Maharashtra has also secured a massive victory in the 374 run defense.

They restricted Himachal Pradesh to 194/6 in 45 overs to earn a victory by 180 runs as Ankush Bains top scored for the HP side with 87. It wasn’t, however, enough to get them anywhere close to the target. The left-handed opening batter, for the Punjab side, is leading their charges for an unlikely hoist.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 3: All Scores from Day 3

Hyderabad beat Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 49 runs

Indian Railways beat Baroda by 22 runs

Bengal beat TNCA XI by 6 wickets

TNCA President's XI beat Chhattisgarh by 59 runs

Maharashtra beat Himachal Pradesh by 180 runs

Jharkhand beat Punjab by 131 runs

Odisha CA beat Jammu & Kashmir by 118 runs

Haryana beat Mumbai by 5 wickets

The opening day of the third round of the Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 saw the two veterans of Indian cricket, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sarfaraz Khan, celebrate their respective centuries. Both enjoyed their knocks respectively for Maharashtra and Mumbai during the competition, as Bengal struggled with the bat against the TNCA XI side. 

On the second day, Bengal’s captain, Abhishek Porel, responded with 44 runs as they slipped to 178/8 during the lunch break. Mumbai posted a huge score on the board due to Sarfaraz’s century as Haryana lost four wickets for less than 100 runs, with Tushar Despande, Shams Mulani, and Suyash Shedge picking up one wicket each.

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For the Hyderabad side, Tanmay Agarwal celebrated 130 as they crossed the 300-run mark in response to Madhya Pradesh’s 181. For the Himachal Pradesh team, Innesh Maharajan clubbed 71 in reply to Maharashtra’s 440, thanks to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 133. For TNCA PXI, P Vidyuth and J Hemchudesan took two wickets apiece.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 3: All Scores from Day 2

Baroda secured the first-innings lead. Abhimanyu Singh Rajput kept batting on 61, which lifted Baroda after they collapsed to 90/6 against Raj Chaudhary, who ended with figures of 3/57, while Zubair Ali Khan bagged four wickets for 32 runs. Jammu and Kashmir weathered the early strong at 53/4 after bowling out the Odisha side for 310 runs.

Maharajan and Bhardwaj brought HP back into the contest against Maharashtra’s formidable score of 440 runs. Ramakrishna Ghosh struck on successive deliveries as Himachal Pradesh stayed on 156/4. Baroda’s Aryan Chavda picked up five wickets as Railways found themselves struggling at 113/8. Post his century in the first innings, Arshin Kulkarni started strongly on 31 runs in 61 balls in the second.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 3: All Scores from Day 2

Madhya Pradesh 181 & 174-2 lost to Hyderabad 414-7 by an innings and 59 runs
TNCA President's XI 266 & 81-7 vs Chhattisgarh 187
TNCA XI 203 & 147-3 vs Bengal 241
Mumbai 346-9 vs Haryana 364
Railways 184 & 121-9 vs Baroda 193 & 28-2
Jharkhand 366-8 & 53-0 vs Punjab 182
Odisha 314 & 6-1 vs Jammu & Kashmir 330
Maharashtra 440 & 114-1 vs Himachal Pradesh 239

Umran Malik made a strong comeback after a long injury layoff. Against Odisha, the Jammu and Kashmir cricketer claimed a brace in quick succession. Malik quickly went under the spotlight because of his express speed.

In IPL 2022, the speed star clocked at 156.9 kph during a delivery. But his thunderous form was discounted due to injury concerns. Before the Buchi Babu Tournament, he last played top-flight cricket during the 2024 season. To make himself again available for competitive matches, Umran spent around 6 months in BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for rehabilitation. During the J&K vs Odisha match of the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, he first clean bowled Odisha opener OM T Munde.

A fast-paced delivery with the mixture of inswingers knocked down the stumps. Only after a few moments, the pacer took opposition captain Subhranshu Senapati. He had to go back to the pavilion because of an inside edge. Malik finished his spell with 2/35. The right-handed seamer is now confident to make his presence strongly felt in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season as well.

⚡ Umran Malik back in action, bags 2 Wickets in his first Spell. ⚡pic.twitter.com/VZqVn2UH9A

— KKR Vibe (@KnightsVibe) August 26, 2025

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He missed entire IPL 2025 entirely for injury 

The return of Umran Malik in domestic cricket is encouraging news for Kolkata Knight Riders fans. This was Umran's first appearance since March 2024, when he played for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Mumbai Indians in the IPL. After his stint with SRH, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) crashed in for the fast bowler. Though, he ruled out of IPL 2025 because of injury reasons. In his stint with SRH from 2021 to 2024, Umran took 29 wickets in 26 matches at an average of 26.62 and an economy rate of 9.39. 

For Team India, after making his international debut in 2022, he took 13 wickets from 10 ODIs at 30.69. 

The invitational red-ball tournament, called the Buchi Babu Trophy, has reached its third round for the 2025 season of the event. For several years, it served as a great opportunity for the players to get the best platform to polish themselves before the Duleep Trophy and the domestic season of the tournament. A few players didn’t participate in the first day after the third day clashes with the start of the Duleep Trophy 2025.

Prithvi Shaw, who smashed a fine century during the first round of the tournament for Maharashtra, didn’t turn up for the game. However, there were a few stars like Sarfaraz Khan and Ruturaj Gaikwad, both of whom celebrated their respective centuries to keep the best form before the domestic red-ball season.

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Musheer Khan got another start, but the promising batter failed to convert it into a huge score. After his scores of 30 and nine in the first round, opening the batting, he fell for another 30 against Haryana in the third round. Gaikwad fell for 133 while Sarfaraz finished with the respective knock of 111 runs.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 3: All Scores from Day 1

The all-rounder of the Hyderabad side, Rohith Rayudu, picked up a five-wicket haul. His fine figures of 5/44 were instrumental in bowling out Madhya Pradesh for 181 runs in the first innings on the opening day of the third round. Bengal bowled out the TNCA XI for 203 runs in the first innings, on Rahul Prasad’s 5/44. Bengal lost four wickets as Abhishek Porel walked out to bat at number six.

The Kolkata Knight Riders pacer, Umran Malik, who couldn’t play the last IPL due to injury, turned up for Jammu Kashmir and picked up two wickets in his fiery spell of nine overs. Ashwin Kulkani, the seam-bowling all-rounder from Maharashtra, who played the U19 World Cup 2024, also celebrated a century.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 3: All Scores from Day 1

TNCA President's XI 266 vs Chhatisgarh 4-0
TNCA XI 203 vs Bengal 58-4
Mumbai 346-9 vs Haryana
Indian Railways 184 vs Baroda 76-3
Madhya Pradesh 181 vs Hyderabad 155-1
Jharkhand 366-8 vs Punjab
Odisha CA 314 vs Jammu & Kashmir
Maharashtra 440 vs Himachal Pradesh

The middle-order batter of the Indian side, Sarfaraz Khan, has continued to send a strong message to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors before the upcoming home Test season against the West Indies and South Africa. He was dropped from the national side since last year’s home red-ball series against New Zealand.

Sarfaraz, during the first round of the Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 in the invitational tournament in Tamil Nadu, celebrated a fine century as the selection committee would look to plan the best batter for their number three or six after Karun Nair struggled during the away five-match England Test trip with inconsistent performances.

See Also: [WATCH] Ruturaj Gaikwad's 'no-celebration' century for Maharashtra in Buchi Babu Trophy 2025

Playing for Mumbai against Haryana during the Buchi Babu tournament, Sarfaraz Khan displayed his crazy performance with the bat. The right-handed batter was on 79 with several boundaries at run-a-ball before he cracked a huge six to celebrate a century in the third round of the tournament in just 99 deliveries. Sarfaraz will now come into contention for selection in the home Test season.

Watch: Sarfaraz Khan celebrates fabulous century for Mumbai during Buchi Babu Trophy 2025

Sarfaraz Khan has smashed 371 runs in six innings of the red-ball format at an average of 37.10 and a strike rate of 74.94, with the help of three half-centuries and one century at the best score of 150 runs against the Blackcaps during the opening Test of the series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Sarfaraz has overall clubbed 4685 runs in 83 innings of First-class cricket at an average of 65.98 and a strike rate of more than 70, scoring 16 centuries and 15 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 301 runs. It would be really important for the batter to gain momentum before the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025, which starts on August 28 in Bengaluru, and the following Ranji Trophy 2025.

Apart from Sarfaraz Khan, the number three batter of the Maharashtra side, Ruturaj Gaikwad, got back to form with a fine century against Himachal Pradesh as he looked to get back in rhythm after missing the last few months and the biggest chunk of the IPL due to a wrist injury.

The captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ruturaj Gaikwad, is currently playing for the Maharashtra side in the third round of the Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 in Tamil Nadu. The 27-year-old batter didn’t celebrate his century for the state side against Himachal Pradesh at the TI Murugappa ground.

Coming out to bat at the number three position, in the absence of their opening batter, Prithvi Shaw, Gaikwad crossed the 100-run mark in just 122 balls. At the end of the 63 overs in their innings with the bat, the veteran was on 104 runs in just 131 balls as he had hammered 10 boundaries.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad just timed the ball into the cover region and went for a single, and didn’t celebrate the century. It felt like a relief for the batter, who perhaps had the monkey off his back. The experienced campaigner, who has already featured in six ODIs and 23 T20Is for India, played in his first match of the event and returned with low scores of one and 11 runs against Chhattisgarh.

Watch: Ruturaj Gaikwad refuses to celebrate century during Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 

Gaikwad missed the lion’s share of the IPL 2025 for the CSK franchise after he picked up a wrist injury. In his absence, the former captain and wicket-keeper batter of the side, MS Dhoni, led the side. Gaikwad’s last game for the national side came in July against Zimbabwe.

Bro didn't celebrate his century 😭 pic.twitter.com/iXmMrGGCVD

— ` (@WorshipDhoni) August 26, 2025

The Chennai opening batter has already smacked 2502 runs in 70 innings of the IPL at an average of 40.35 and a strike rate of 137.47, with the help of 20 half-centuries and two centuries at the best score of unbeaten 108 runs. The yellow franchise will be hoping to get back the opening batter in the side before the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

In the other game, Sarfaraz Khan smashed 92 runs in 92 balls at the end of 62 overs in Mumbai’s first innings during their encounter against Haryana, with the help of eight boundaries and four sixes. The Duleep Trophy 2025 will begin in Bengaluru from August 28, where many skillful players will feature for the zonal teams.

Another keeper-batter has initiated a process to leave a mark on Indian cricket. 21-year-old Athish SR was absolutely brilliant against Haryana in a Buchi Babu Tournament match. The young cricketer slammed a hundred under pressure. 

It was a match between Tamil Nadu and Haryana when Athish hit a ton with a healthy strike rate. Throughout the innings, the left-hander was in full flow and looked confident. With a pair of quick hands, he successfully connected his blade with the ball. Some of his shots on the leg side were beautiful to watch. The Tamil Nadu batter faced full-length deliveries with the same precision as the short-length delivery. 

In this season's Buchi Babu Tournament, multiple big names are unable to take part for various reasons. During the absence of star players, it is an ideal time for young cricketers to shine on the field. Athish SR is definitely among those young players who must try to utilize the tournament as a stage to unfold their talents. With the magnificent century, Athish definitely attracted many cricket lovers' attention. 

Athish SR notched up a brilliant century against Haryana. 🏏#BuchiBabuTournament #TNCricket #TamilNaduCricket #TNCA pic.twitter.com/yiL4bEXY3E

— TNCA (@TNCACricket) August 23, 2025

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Previous stats are not exciting 

Ahead of the tournament, the batter's track record was not among the highly impressive numbers. He got multiple chances in this year's Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL 2025). The southpaw was with IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans. With the franchise team, his batting performance remained cold and below the expected level. According to ESPNcricinfo, he scored 17, 19, and 1 runs in three matches for Tiruppur in TNPL 2025.

Last three notable matches of Athish SR: 

Nellai vs Tiruppur: 17

Nellai vs Dindigul: 19

Nellai vs Kovai: 1

The Indian opening batter, Prithvi Shaw, who has been out of the national side for more than four years, is eyeing a new journey. The Mumbai batter left his long-time domestic team and joined Maharashtra before the upcoming domestic season. And this Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 has given him the perfect platform to get connected with the side.

The Indian opener smashed a fine knock of 111 runs in just 141 balls with the help of 15 fours and a six on the second day of the first round. It was an incredible knock, given that the other ten Maharashtra batters got just 92 runs on a surface that was misbehaving a lot.

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“It’s hot in Chennai, but it feels great because I have always scored some runs over here whenever I am here. I think Chennai is quite special for me. The first experience of playing in Chennai was during the IPL 2019, I think. We played at obviously Chepauk, and (it was a) really good experience.” Prithvi Shaw expressed in an interaction with the Chennai Super Kings.

Watch: Prithvi Shaw comments on his love for Chennai after century in Buchi Babu Trophy 2025  

Shaw has overall smashed 4556 runs in 102 innings of FC cricket at an average of 46.02 and a strike rate of 82.86 with the help of 13 centuries and 18 fifties. The 25-year-old has shown his excitement about featuring for Maharashtra in the new season of domestic cricket.

First 💯 for Maharashtra in Chennai✅
Shaw makes it special 💛#WhistlePodu #BuchiBabu pic.twitter.com/o5zGZA2MlU

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) August 21, 2025

“I think it’s a great tournament. Before the Ranji season, it happens, and I am playing for the first time. I had just played my first game, and it’s a good experience because all the state teams come together before playing the Ranji Trophy, and you get a very good practice before the season starts.” The Thane-born expressed.

“It’s good for all the players who have participated in it. This is my first game for Maharashtra. It feels really special scoring a 100. I hope this thing continues till the Ranji Trophy and whatever the upcoming matches come for Maharashtra.” Prithvi Shaw concluded.

On the second day of the Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 in the first round in Chennai, Prithvi Shaw celebrated a fine century while the Chennai Super Kings’ captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, failed for just one run. Kolkata Knight Riders and India’s T20I batter, Ramandeep Singh, also smashed a fine, fiery century knock. Such excellent knocks continued on the third day as teams earned their respective wins.

Bengal lost their way in the chase as Nishant Sindhu earned a fine five-wicket haul while the Mumbai captain, Ayush Mhatre, dismissed Shahrukh Khan. Jammu and Kashmir, who will be boosted with the presence of Umran Malik from the second round, earned a nine-wicket win.

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Tushar Raheja smashed a well-compiled century as Baroda’s Nitya Pandya and Mohit Mongia notched up half-centuries. Their spinner, Pradip Yadav, also got a five-wicket haul.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 1: All Scores from Day 3

Sarfaraz Khan, who got a century in the first innings, failed in the second for 36 runs. M Siddharth took five wickets. Sarfaraz batted at number seven in the line-up and smashed 36 runs in 35 balls. Prithvi Shaw, another first-innings centurion, departed early.

Vicky Ostwal got a five-wicket haul while Hyderabad got their lead after their number 10 batter, Aniketh Reddy, smashed 33 runs in 54 balls.

Buchi Babu Trophy 2025 Round 1: All Scores from Day 3

JHARKHAND 176 (45.1 ov) & 212 (39.0 ov)

MP 317-6 (90.0 ov) & 74-2 (18.3 ov)

MP won by nine wickets

TNCA PRESIDENT'S XI 274 (67.4 ov) & 246-5 (45.0 ov)

HIMACHAL PRADESH 214 (60.3 ov) & 110 (26.1 ov)

TNCA PRESIDENT'S XI won by 196 runs

JAMMU AND KASHMIR 393-5 (90.0 ov) & 69-1 (19.0 ov)

RAILWAYS 221-8 (90.0 ov) & 238-9 (45.0 ov)

JAMMU AND KASHMIR won by nine wickets

CHHATTISGARH 252 (89.3 ov) & 149 (43.3 ov)

MAHARASHTRA 217 (73.0 ov) & 149 (43.5 ov)

CHHATTISGARH won by 35 runs

HARYANA 415-9 (90.0 ov) & 230 (44.2 ov)

BENGAL 381 (88.4 ov) & 164 (38.1 ov)

HARYANA won by 100 runs

MUMBAI 412-5 (90.0 ov) & 178 (44.1 ov)

TNCA XI 325-5 (90.0 ov) & 268-8 (44.1 ov)

TNCA XI won by two wickets

BARODA 381-6 (90.0 ov) & 256 (44.4 ov)

ODISHA 352 (89.5 ov) & 172 (36.4 ov)

BARODA won by 113 runs

PUNJAB 348-5 (90.0 ov) & 298-8 dec (39.5 ov)

HYDERABAD 355-7 (90.0 ov) & 294-6 (41.0 ov)

HYDERABAD won by four wickets

The inception of the Buchi Babu Memorial Cricket Tournament dates back to 1909, following the death of Mothavarapu Venkata Mahipathi Naidu, who was also known by the name of Buchi Babu Naidu. Naidu was a prominent cricketing figure from Southern India. His contributions to Madras cricket at that time made him earn the coveted title of "Father of Madras Cricket." 

Just like the entire nation, the city of Madras, in which Naidu was based, was under British occupation. Times were hard during the pre-colonial times, but he did not let his struggles deter him from pursuing his cricketing ambitions. Naidu laid the initial foundation by establishing the Madras United Cricket Club, which subsequently led him to coin the concept of a Presidency Match, a contest between local Indian players and the English Madras Cricket Club. Moreover, right before his eventual demise, he organized a number of cricket matches and provided cricketing gear and attire to the deserving players. 

After his death, the local clubs around Madras initiated the Buchi Babu Memorial Tournament starting in 1909–10 as a tribute to him. Shortly after gaining independence, the tournament evolved into an invitational format in the late 1960s, attracting interest from several teams from across India, such as the State Bank of India, Associated Cement Companies (ACC), Nirlon, and Mafatlal, to name a few. 

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Participating Teams

During the colonial era, the tournament was restricted to a handful of clubs in and around Madras. But all of that changed forever when the league fell under the jurisdiction of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) in the 1960s. An invitational format was proposed by the governing body, and the league soon started featuring a diverse array of cricket teams and clubs all across India. The teams that expressed their interest in participating in this prestigious tournament were classified into two broad categories—Employer-based teams (E.g., State Bank of India, ACC, Nirlon) & State and association teams (E.g., Mumbai CA XI, TNCA President’s XI, Kerala).

However, in the contemporary era, the tournament has evolved in leaps and bounds as it now features anywhere between 12 to 16 teams, drawn from across the country. These teams are then grouped into three or four different groups, with three to four teams each.  

Format & Schedule

The Buchi Babu Memorial Cricket Tournament is played in a multi-day format. The league stage lasts for a maximum of three days, whereas the knockout games are played over the course of four days. Each playing day comprises a minimum of 6.5 hours of play with a requirement to bowl a minimum of 95 overs. Each group plays in a round-robin format, and the top teams progress to the semi-final and then the final. 

The tournament is held in the month of August-September and acts as a precursor to India's domestic season, which involves notable tournaments like the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy). 

Impact and Legacy of the Bachi Babu Tournament

The Bachi Babu tournament serves as a key foundation for the budding cricketers of Tamil Nadu and gives them the exposure to prepare them for their next big cricketing challenge, i.e., Ranji side selection. Big legends such as Sunil Gavaskar also got a taste of playing in this auspicious league. Given his aura, Gavaskar once attracted nearly 10,000 spectators when he was playing for the ACC. Besides, modern-day greats also participate in this tournament to hone their skills in red-ball cricket just before the start of the Indian domestic season. Some of the notable names include, but are not limited to, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Sarfaraz Khan.