Srinagar: Hosts NIT Srinagar continued their impressive run in the All India Inter-NIT Faculty & Staff Cricket Tournament 2026, advancing to the semi-finals with a commanding victory over NIT Kurukshetra as the tournament entered the knockout stage on Monday.
Joining the hosts in the semi-finals were NIT Jalandhar and NIT Hamirpur, while the final day of the league stage witnessed several high-scoring encounters, the tournament’s first hat-trick, and a series of dominant performances across venues.
NIT Srinagar outclass Kurukshetra
Playing the quarter-final at the NIT Srinagar Ground, NIT Kurukshetra opted to bat and posted 123/7 in 20 overs. Prof. Vikas Kumar top-scored with 22 runs, but the visitors struggled to accelerate against a disciplined bowling attack.
Dr. Shakeel Waseem led the bowling with 2/25, while Dr. Mohsin (1/18), Dr. Majid Hussain (1/17), Mudasir Qadir (1/25) and Shahid Hamid (1/19) chipped in with a wicket each.
In reply, NIT Srinagar comfortably chased down the target, reaching 127/3 in just 14 overs. Dr. Ved Prakash anchored the innings with an unbeaten 50, while Aaqib Sheikh struck an aggressive 38. Dr. Pankaj Kumar contributed a quick 16 off nine balls and Shahid Hamid remained unbeaten on 11 off four deliveries as the hosts completed a comprehensive seven-wicket victory with six overs to spare.
Dr. Ved Prakash was adjudged Player of the Match and received the award from NIT Srinagar Registrar Prof. Atikur Rehman.
Jalandhar edge Rourkela; Hamirpur advance
At Ganderbal Physical College, NIT Jalandhar defeated NIT Rourkela by eight runs in a closely contested quarter-final.
Batting first, Jalandhar scored 157/6, with Ravinder making 38 and Nitin Sharma adding 32. Chasing 158, Rourkela fought hard through Subrat S, who scored a brilliant 82 off 67 balls, but finished on 149/6. Manjeet Singh claimed 2/22 for Jalandhar, while Subrat S was named Player of the Match despite ending on the losing side.
In another quarter-final, NIT Hamirpur defeated NIT Calicut by 32 runs. Hamirpur were bowled out for 107, with Manish scoring 34 and Aman Kumar 22, while Dhanesh Rambeth claimed a five-wicket haul for Calicut.
However, Hamirpur’s bowlers produced a superb response, dismissing Calicut for 75 in 17.1 overs. Manish completed an outstanding all-round display with 5/21, while Surender Soni returned figures of 3/10.
Jaipur register biggest win; Rahul Sharma claims first hat-trick
In the league stage, MNIT Jaipur recorded the biggest victory of the day, defeating NIT Delhi Faculty & Staff by 99 runs.
Jaipur piled up 228/8, powered by Sundeep Kumar’s 58 and Roop Narayan Sharma’s explosive 44 off just 18 balls. Delhi were restricted to 129, despite Manoj Kumawat’s fighting 69, with Vijay Singh taking 3/24.
MANIT Bhopal defeated NIT Raipur by 24 runs after posting 140/8 in 18 overs. Hasthi Venkateswarlu starred with an all-round performance, scoring 35 and taking 3/20, while Deepak Singh’s 37 could not prevent Raipur from finishing on 116/8.
NIT Kurukshetra defeated NIT Andhra Pradesh by 17 runs, with Kamlesh Choudhary scoring 61 before Rahul Sharma produced the tournament’s first hat-trick, finishing with figures of 3/13.
Other league results
NIT Agartala defeated NIT Manipur by five wickets after restricting Manipur to 127/8. Amitesh Bardhan took 4/17, while Dhirendra Kumar Pandey guided the chase with 42.
NIT Rourkela bounced back with a five-wicket win over MNNIT Allahabad after Tanmaya Kumar Sahoo ripped through the batting order with outstanding figures of 6/17, restricting Allahabad to 73/9.
VNIT Nagpur defeated NIT Nagaland by 11 runs after Sourav Pradhan scored 33 and Dr. Ajit Rathod returned figures of 2/28.
SVNIT Surat secured a 23-run victory over NIT Sikkim, with Vishal starring with 49 runs and 2/22, while Dr. Jogender Singh bowled economically to help defend 159/7.
In another one-sided encounter, NITK Surathkal thrashed NIT Goa by 10 wickets. After bundling Goa out for 106/8 through Shailendra (4/18) and Santhosh (3/17), Surathkal chased down the target in just 8.3 overs without losing a wicket, with Selva remaining unbeaten on 50 and Santhosh on 30.
