Punjab beat Chhattisgarh by seven wickets in Ranji Trophy at New PCA Stadium
Punjab defeated Chhattisgarh by seven wickets at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh in their Ranji Trophy second-round fixture on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Chhattisgarh squandered crucial moments late in the day despite Ayush Pandey’s century, with Pandey run out after attempting a hurried single.
Punjab posted 456 in the first innings while Chhattisgarh managed 206 in their first dig. Ayush Pandey (111, 252, 16x4, 2x6) occupied the crease through the morning session, largely by targeting the spinners. Gurnoor Brar’s bouncer struck Amandeep Khare on his left arm and forced Khare to retire hurt, and Harjas Tandon earlier castled Vikalp Tiwari.
Rahul Pradhan contributed 35, sweeping and paddle-sweeping Harjas Tandon for boundaries before offering a leading edge to mid-on that ended a 57-run partnership. One over later, minutes before lunch, Pandey tapped to substitute Ramandeep Singh at mid-on, was sent back from halfway by partner Ajay Mandal and was run out; Ajay Mandal finished with (45, 61, 7x4).
Chhattisgarh regrouped through a 21-over, 84-run stand between Ajay Mandal and Dharmendra Jadeja. Dharmendra Jadeja (47, 80b, 3x4, 2x6) relied on sweeping to score, including two sixes over deep midwicket off Harpreet, before he was bowled attempting a sweep off Harjas Tandon. In trying to mirror that approach, Mandal was castled around his legs.
After Jadeja’s dismissal, Punjab had a full session to chase 86 runs. Dharmendra and Ajay removed the openers inside the first four overs of Punjab’s second innings, but the remaining batting left Punjab with an achievable target.
Chhattisgarh — 2nd innings: Ayush Pandey run out 111, Sanidhya Hurkat c Vihaan b Emanjot 25, Ashutosh Singh lbw b Emanjot 0, Sanjeet Desai b Harpreet 0, Amandeep Khare lbw b Emanjot 62, Vikalp Tiwari b Harjas 1, Rahul Pradhan c Emanjot b Harjas 35, Ajay Mandal b Harpreet 45, Dharmendra Jadeja b Harjas 47, Dev Aditya Singh c Vihaan b Gurnoor 0, Sandeep Warrier (not out) 1; Extras (b-4, nb-4): 8; Total (in 116.2 overs): 335. Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-48, 3-49, 4-176, 5-233, 6-233, 7-317, 8-318, 9-334.
Punjab bowling: Gurnoor 9-0-34-1, Harpreet 38-8-117-2, Harjas 29-7-92-3, Emanjot 23.2-8-45-3, Vihaan 4-0-15-0, Uday 5-3-3-0, Umesh 7-1-16-0, Shubman Gill 1-0-9-0.
Punjab reached the target for the loss of three wickets in 16.5 overs, finishing on 86 for 3. Vihaan Malhotra lbw b Dharmendra 6, Harnoor Pannu c Sanjeet b Ajay 6, Uday Saharan (not out) 40, Prabhsimran Singh c Sanidhya b Dharmendra 24, Salil (not out) 10; Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-14, 3-47.