Punjab Kings’ star all-rounder Rishi Dhawan showcased impressive form both with bat and ball for Himachal Pradesh in the ongoing edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The Himachal Pradesh captain once again led from the front, picking valuable wickets as well as scoring useful runs for his side.

Rishi Dhawan started the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 campaign by smashing 45 runs off just 28 balls against Hyderabad in their opening fixture. Scoring at a strike rate of 160.71, Rishi’s blitzkrieg innings was laced with eight boundaries.

In their second Elite Group A fixture against Uttar Pradesh, the 32-year-old all-rounder claimed four wickets for just 12 runs in his 6.3 overs, and followed it up by scoring a 25-ball 27 to guide Himachal Pradesh to a five-wicket win.

Rishi continued his rich vein of form as he played an eye-catching knock of 35-ball 45 against Tripura to keep Himachal Pradesh in the game while chasing 262.

The swashbuckling batter later smashed 39 runs off 28 balls against Chandigarh to help Himachal post 302/8 in their allotted 50 overs. 

While Himachal managed just two wins in their seven matches in Elite Group A, Rishi has been one of the standout players in the group stages of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Punjab Kings’ Rahul Chahar has also stole the limelight for Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022.

Playing against Sikkim in an Elite Group B match, the 32-year-old leg-spinner bagged five wickets for just 24 runs in his quota of 10 overs at the Jadavpur University Campus Ground in Kolkata.

Rahul Chahar claimed the huge wickets of opening batter Anwesh Sharma, captain Ashish Thapa, Sumit Singh, Chitiz Tamang and Rahul Tamang to bundle Sikkim for just 110 in 42 overs. Later, Rajasthan chased down the target in just 17.4 overs to secure a convincing seven-wicket victory.

Apart from Rishi Dhawan and Rahul Chahar, the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Harpreet Brar and Baltej Singh have produced some notable performances for their respective teams.

Young batter Atharva Taide scored an impressive fifty (51 off 74 balls) against Rajasthan in their Elite Group B encounter at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

On the other hand, wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh played a match-winning knock of unbeaten 62 off just 48 balls against Baroda in an Elite Group D clash.

Meanwhile, Harpreet Brar and Baltej Singh have also been spectacular for Punjab in the bowling department. Both Harpreet and Baltej registered three-wicket hauls against Jammu and Kashmir in their Elite Group D clash to power Punjab to a dominating eight-wicket win.

Having won all their six matches in Elite Group D, Punjab have topped the group with 24 points and also directly booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022.