Ranji Trophy Plate Group : Manipur emerge table toppers, earn promotion to Elite Group next season
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 19 2025: Manipur drew Meghalaya in their last Ranji Trophy Plate Group league round tie after conceding 88-run first innings lead to the latter team to finish league winners and qualify for the final at CK Pithawala Ground, Surat.

Resuming the final day on 49/1, Meghalaya declared on 239/4 after 64.3 overs riding on a remarkable 159-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Rahul Dalal and Kishan Lyndoh (76 off 123 balls) and gave Manipur a target of 328 runs.

Ranji Trophy Plate Group : Manipur emerge table toppers, earn promotion to Elite Group next season

Rahul Dalal dazzled with another ton (103 not out off 131 balls) for Meghalaya in this innings that saw Bishworjit Konthoujam enjoying a three wicket haul (3/ 85 in 22 overs that include 5 maidens) by sweeping the top three batters and Thokchom Kishan (1/42 in 14.3 overs that include 4 maidens) bowling out the Meghalaya skipper Kishan Lyndoh in the 58.3 overs.

Chasing 328 for the win, Manipur Manipur were 72/1 on the back of an unbeaten 69-run partnership between Longjam Ronald (98-ball 51 not out; 7 fours) and Y Kamajit (19 not out off 55 balls; 2 fours) when the captains shook their hands to call the match a draw.

Notably, visitors Meghalaya, who elected to bat first after winning the toss, posted an imposing total of 430 runs in the first innings courtesy of century knocks from Rahul Dalal (151 off 146; 23 fours and 3 sixes) and Ajay Duhan (102 off 184; 13 fours) and restricted Manipur to 342 to take an 88- run first innings lead.

For Manipur, Konthoujam Bishworjit (2/77 in 28 overs), Pheiroijam Jotin (2/58 in 18.4 overs), Lamabam Ajay (2/51 in 18 overs), and Ng Johnson (2/34 in 9 overs) shared 8 wickets in the first innings as Thokchom Kishan (1/49 in 10 overs) and Kishan Singha (1/104 in 20 overs) chipped in with a wicket apiece before Al Bashid (64 off 144 balls; 7 fours), K Priyojit (71 off 173 balls; 7 fours and 1 six) and Pheiroijam Jotin (86 off 177 balls; 9 fours) produced sensible batting performances to help Manipur raise a commendable first innings total of 342 runs.

With the result, Manipur finished league winners on 18 points thanks to 2 wins and 3 draws and will play Bihar, who finished runners up with a 7-wicket win over Mizoram in their final league round tie today, in the final slated for next year (January 22 to 26).The result also meant that Manipur will play among quality teams in the Elite Group next season for the second time along with Bihar.

Coach and Captain on the result

Coach Siddharth Trivedi: We are in the Finals ! Every game is a takeaway and boys have showed a lot of commitment in all the games !! Congratulations to everyone in the team including support staff and the manipur cricket association for this achievement!!

Captain K Bishorjit: I'm feeling incredibly grateful and proud of the team.

Remaining unbeaten through the league stage means a lot.

It shows our discipline, perseverance, and unity.

The biggest takeaway for me is that when we back each other and stay calm under pressure, we can overcome any situation.

As we prepare for the final against Bihar, our focus will be on keeping things simple, sticking to our strengths, and playing fearless cricket.

We've come this far together, and we'll give everything we have to finish the journey on a high.