The start of the 2025-26 domestic season, with the Duleep Trophy quarter-finals last week, produced a mix of interesting performances from unheralded stars at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. While a plethora of runs were made, an uncommon hat-trick from Jammu & Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi and an even rarer feat by a spinner grabbed attention during the quarter-final matches in Bengaluru.
Among the top performers of the first round, was 21-year-old Jharkand spinner Manishi, who turned heads with his impressive outing for East Zone. Albeit his exploits ended in a defeat against a solid North Zone side who racked up more than 1000 runs in the match, Manishi made the most of his maiden call-up to the Duleep Trophy with a fantastic six-wicket haul in the first innings.
FC world record
Intriguingly, the Jharkhand spinner went on to equal a world record with his six-for, having acquired all of his dismissals by lbw (leg before wicket) scalps. The left-arm tweaker’s lbw dismissals comprised Shubham Khajuria (26), Ankit Kumar (30), Yash Dhull (39), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (76), Nabi (44), and Harshit Rana (7).
Interestingly, Manishi produced only the sixth instance of a bowler record six lbw dismissals in a First-Class innings, also the first by any Indian bowler ever in the format. Of the five bowlers who had previously achieved the landmark, five of them had represented their respective countries in Test cricket, including England’s Ollie Robinson (2021), and Mark Ilott (1995), Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas (2005) and Pakistan’s Tabish Khan (2011).
Most LBW dismissals by a bowler in a First Class innings
| No. of LBWs | Player | Match | Venue | Year |
| 6 | Mark Ilott | Northamptonshire v Essex | Wardown Park, Luton | 1995 |
| 6 | Chaminda Vaas | Southern Province v Western Province | R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 2004/05 |
| 6 | Tabish Khan | Khan Research Laboratories v Karachi Whites | National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, Karachi | 2011/12 |
| 6 | Ollie Robinson | Glamorgan v Sussex | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 2021 |
| 6 | Chris Wright | Gloucestershire v Leicestershire | County Ground, Bristol | 2021 |
| 6 | Manishi | North Zone v East Zone | COE Ground 1, Bengaluru | 2025/26 |
Who is Manishi, the 21-year-old Jharkhand bowler?
Playing alongside the likes of Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar, Manishi emerged as the most successful bowler for the East Zone in the match. With just nine matches to his tally in three years in First-Class cricket, the Jameshedpur-born Manishi has already made a significant impact. He had an excellent Ranji Trophy season last year, taking 22 wickets, averaging 27.22. His impressive career-best figures of 6-111 were recently achieved in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final, eclipsing his previous best of 4-49.
Manishi also has international experience, having represented India Under-19 in a four-day match against South Africa Under-19 in 2019. In that game, he took seven wickets at a remarkable average of 12.57, including a five-wicket haul of 5-58.
