Srinagar, Jul 7: Hosts NIT Srinagar stormed into the final of the All-India Inter-NIT Faculty & Staff Cricket Tournament 2026 with a convincing four-wicket victory over NIT Jalandhar in the first semifinal, while NIT Puducherry secured the second berth in the title clash after defeating NIT Hamirpur by six wickets in the second semifinal played at the Physical College, Ganderbal.
The championship final, as per a PIB statement, will now be played between NIT Srinagar and NIT Puducherry on Wednesday, while NIT Hamirpur and NIT Jalandhar will face each other in the third-place playoff.
In the first semifinal, NIT Jalandhar won the toss and elected to bat. Opener Nitin Sharma was dismissed off the very first ball of the innings. Ravinder, Avishek Singh and Amritpal Singh also fell cheaply, leaving NIT Jalandhar struggling at 14/4 inside the opening four overs.
However, Saurabh Dinkar and Sourav Gupta staged an impressive recovery with a crucial partnership. Dinkar played a superb knock of 71 runs off 50 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes, while Gupta contributed a well-compiled 56 off 44 deliveries with five boundaries. Their efforts helped NIT Jalandhar recover to a respectable total of 148/5 in 20 overs.
NIT Srinagar’s bowling attack remained disciplined throughout the innings. Dr. Mohsin starred with outstanding figures of 2 wickets for 15 runs in four overs. MudasirQadir and Dr. Majid Hussain claimed one wicket each, while Dr. Shakeel Waseem and Shahid Hamid bowled economical spells to keep the opposition under pressure.
In reply, NIT Srinagar produced a composed batting display to chase down the target, with Dr Majid Hussain top-scoring with a well-crafted 32 off 24 balls, laced with five boundaries. Wicketkeeper-batter Sohail Baba remained unbeaten on 25 off just 13 deliveries, smashing four fours and a six, while Shahid Hamid made an important 26 off 18 balls, including three boundaries, to keep the chase firmly on track.
