Top 5 best performers in Round 2 of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 ft. Karun Nair

The second round of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) produced several enticing battles between bat and ball. After the opening round saw the batters score big runs for fun, bowlers stepped up to the party and leveled the playing field today (December 26).

As for the Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma watch that has dominated the VHT headlines, the duo could not make it back-to-back centuries after their heroics in Round One. Nonetheless, the former helped himself to another brilliant 61-ball 77 in Delhi's clash against Gujarat. However, Rohit fell for a golden duck in Mumbai's encounter against Uttarakhand.

Despite his impressive knock, Kohli just missed the cut for the top five best performances of Round Two, thanks to other more substantial and impactful batting and bowling displays.

On that note, here are the top five performers of Round Two of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

#5 Shubham Singh

It is no easy task choosing between a centurion and a bowler with a five-wicket haul as the better performer in the same game. However, despite Jharkhand opener Shikhar Mohan smashing a brilliant 118-ball 129, his teammate Shubham Singh gets the nod as the fifth-best performer of Round Two.

After Jharkhand scored 301 in their 50 overs, Shubham wrecked the Rajasthan lineup with figures of 6/50 in 10 overs. His heroics helped Jharkhan register their first win of the tournament after losing their opening encounter.

#4 Karun Nair

Karun Nair may have endured a sub-par second innings with Team India in Tests, but there is no stopping him in domestic cricket. In a high-voltage contest against Kerala, Karnataka was tasked with chasing a daunting 285 for victory.

Things looked pear-shaped when they lost skipper Mayank Agarwal in the second over of the run chase with the score on one. However, Nair, walking in at No. 3, came up big with a breathtaking run-a-ball 130*, helping Karnataka win by eight wickets in the penultimate over.

The stylish right-hander added a match-winning 223-run second-wicket partnership with the in-form Devdutt Padikkal, who scored a 137-ball 124. The victory made it two in a row for Karnataka to start their 2025-26 VHT campaign.

#3 Krunal Pandya

2025 has been a year from heaven for discarded Team India all-rounder Krunal Pandya. After helping the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) win their maiden IPL title, the 34-year-old has made a stellar start to his 2025-26 VHT campaign.

The Baroda skipper ensured the side remained unbeaten after their first two outings with an all-round showing against Bengal. With the ball, Krunal bowled a miserly spell of 3/39 in 10 overs, helping restrict Bengal to a dismal 205.

He then walked in at 88/2 and scored a crucial 63-ball 57 to help Baroda pull off a four-wicket win.

#2 Yashvardhan Dalal

Nothing gets the juices flowing among fans, while enhancing team morale, like a successful run chase from a no-win position. Haryana wicketkeeper Yashvardhan Dalal helped his side produce just that with inarguably the knock of the day in the clash against Saurashtra.

Chasing 254 for victory, Haryana were in dire straits at 22-2 when Dalal walked out to bat. Yet, the right-hander remained unfazed under duress, smashing an extraordinary 135-ball 164*.

His exploits helped the side pull off a convincing win in the end by six wickets in 39 overs. It was Haryana's first win of the competition after starting with a defeat to Railways.

#1 Deepraj Geonkar

It was a no-contest when it came to the top performer of the 2025-26 VHT second round. Goa skipper Deepraj Geonkar produced a performance for the ages in the side's clash against Himachal Pradesh.

Batting first, Goa were in some trouble at 150/5 when the captain walked out to the middle. The right-hander took control of proceedings, scoring a sensational 48-ball 71 and helping Goa post a formidable 285/9 in 50 overs.

Geonkar wasn't done tormenting Himachal Pradesh for the day as he produced a spell of 5/50 in 10 overs in the second innings. His all-round showing helped Goa win by eight runs and make it two out of two to begin their VHT campaign.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran