Only 90 overs within four sessions of play, 32 wickets, including two hat-tricks, and 359 runs were all it took to complete the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 second round fixture between Assam and Services in Tinsukia on Saturday.
The bizarre First-Class contest shortly before the Indian premier domestic red-ball cricket tournament’s 91st birthday will now be regarded as the shortest completed match in terms of balls in the tournament’s history. The 540-ball contest surpassed the previous record held by a Delhi-Railways contest in the 1961-62 season, which concluded with an outright result after 547 balls with only 221 runs.
However, the shortest game in Ranji Trophy history (by time) remains the inaugural contest between Madras and Mysore, finishing in only 100.5 overs on the first day in the tournament’s history on November 4, 1934!
After 25 wickets fell on the opening day at the Tinsukia District Sports Association Ground, hosting only its second Ranji Trophy game in the 21st century, the precipitous batting collapse continued early on Day 2 morning when Assam were bundled out for 75 in only 29.3 overs before Services cantered home to the target in 13.5 overs to register a famous eight-wicket win.
| Balls | Teams | Season | Total Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 540 | Assam v Services | 2025/26 | 359 |
| 547 | Delhi v Railways | 1961/62 | 221 |
| 574 | Tripura v Rajasthan | 2019/20 | 359 |
| 597 | Haryana v Tripura | 2019/20 | 359 |
| 605 | Madras v Mysore | 1934/35 | 237 |
The opening day of the contest would enter the record books too, with Services bowlers crushing Riyan Parag’s decision to bat first on the strip with two hat-tricks. Parag was the first victim of Services left-arm spinner Arjun Sharma before he proceeded to take out wicket-keeper Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Sibsankar Roy and record the first Ranji Trophy hat-trick of the season. Arjun’s teammate and left-arm pacer Mohit Jangra bagged the second hat-trick of the innings. Jangra cleaned up opener Pradyun Saikia, who waged a lone battle with his quick-fire 52 off 42 laced with two fours and six sixes, off the final delivery of the 15th over. He returned to dismiss Assam No. 9 Mukhtar Hussain and No. 10 Bhargab Lakhar to claim his maiden First-Class hat-trick before Arjun returned to claim his five-wicket haul (5/46).
It was the first instance in Ranji Trophy history where two bowlers have bagged hat-tricks in the same innings of a match. Previously, former Joginder Singh Rao, who played five games for Services nearly five decades ago, had recorded two hat-tricks in the same innings of the match. Rao remains the only Indian to have bagged multiple hat-tricks in the same First-Class innings, having achieved the feat in a game against Northern Punjab in Amritsar in 1963.
Assam folded for only 103 in 17.3 overs before skipper Parag opened the bowling and racked up two wickets in the first over. The drama continued when Parag razed down the Services batters with a five-wicket haul while closing in on a hat-trick himself when he plucked three dismissals in four deliveries. Parag’s teammate Rahul Singh had a hat-trick chance as the Services batters also tumbled quickly. However, the visitors eked out a narrow first-innings lead as both innings wrapped up within 47 overs before Tea.
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