Bihar won the Plate Group Final in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 after beating Manipur by six wickets on Tuesday (January 6), where the Bihar pacer Shabbir Khan recorded a seven-fer, including a hat-trick. 

Ranchi hosted the Plate Group Final, where Bihar chose to bowl first after winning the toss. After Manipur were bowled out for only 169 runs in 47.5 overs, Bihar chased down the target in 31.2 overs after losing four wickets. 

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Hat-trick star Shabbir Khan took seven wickets

Apart from the opener Ulenyai Khwairakpam (61) and the no.8 Pheiroijam Jotin (51), there were no 20-run scores for Manipur, as there were only two more double-digit scores late. Manipur were once struggling at 24/6 in seven overs, while the 28-year-old right-arm pacer Shabbir Khan took all those six wickets, including a hat-trick and four wickets in the fifth over of the innings. 

With another wicket in the slog over, Shabbir Khan had the bowling figures of 8-1-30-7. Meanwhile, Himanshu Tiwari took the remaining three wickets, finishing with the bowling figures of 7.5-0-23-3. 

In chase, the no.3 wicketkeeper-batter Ayush Loharuka scored 75 off 72 balls with 11 fours that guided Bihar to a comfortable win by six wickets with 112 balls remaining. Also, the opener Mangal Mahrour scored 32 runs off 37 balls. 

Bihar won the Plate Group as the unbeaten side, as they won all five league stage matches before winning the Final against Manipur. 

What does Bihar's victory in the Plate Group Final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 mean?

As Bihar won the Plate Group Final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Bihar have been promoted to the Elite Group for the next season. So, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2026-27, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and his team Bihar will compete with the top Vijay Hazare Trophy teams. 

In the Plate Group Final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Bihar pacer Shabbir Khan set a new record for his team with a seven-fer against Manipur on Tuesday (January 6). During that fiery bowling performance, Shabbir also recorded a hat-trick. 

After Bihar chose to field first, Manipur were all out for only 169 runs in 47.5 overs, where the 28-year-old right-arm pacer Shabbir Khan had the bowling figures of 8-1-30-7. 

Shabbir Khan recorded a hat-trick, took four wickets in an over

Shabbir Khan took all the first six wickets, and later added another wicket in the slog over. In the fifth over of the match, Shabbir claimed a hat-trick with three back-to-back wickets by dismissing Langlonyamba Meitan Keishangbam (7), Khangembam Santosh (0), and Johnson Singh (0). Just one ball later, Shabbir ended that over with another wicket of Kangabam Priyojit (0), as he picked up four wickets in that over. 

Before that hat-trick over, opener Karnajit Yumnam (4) was Shabbir's first victim on the fourth ball of the match. Shabbir later also dismissed wicketkeeper-batter Ngariyan-bam Jameson Singh (0), as Manipur were struggling at 24/6 in seven overs.

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Manipur innings somehow rescued with two half-centuries

Opener Ulenyai Khwairakpam (61) and the no.8 batter Pheiroijam Jotin (51) were the only batters to manage some fightbacks, while Himanshu Tiwari took their wickets. Tiwari finished with the bowling figures of 7.5-0-23-3. 

The no. 9 batter L Kishan Singha (10) and the no.10 batter Kishan Thokchom (17*) were the only other batters to manage the double-digit scores in that innings, while Shabbir completed his seven-fer by dismissing Singha. 

Manipur's innings experienced four ducks, while Shabbir Khan set a new Vijay Hazare Trophy record with the best bowling figures for Bihar. The 7/30 became the seventh-best bowling figures in the history of Vijay Hazare Trophy.