Srinagar, July 4: The All India Inter-NIT Faculty & Staff Cricket Tournament (Men) 2026 got underway in Srinagar on Saturday, with hosts NIT Srinagar making an impressive start in the five-day championship featuring 24 National Institutes of Technology from across the country.

The opening day's matches witnessed dominant victories, standout individual performances and one thrilling tie, setting the tone for an exciting tournament.
NIT Srinagar registered a commanding 10-wicket win over NIT Manipur. After restricting Manipur to 121/8 in 20 overs, thanks to Dr. Shakeel Waseem's outstanding spell of 4/21 and Dr. Majid Hussain's 2/27, the hosts chased down the target in just 6.4 overs without losing a wicket.
Aaqib Sheikh stole the show with a sensational unbeaten 103 off just 33 balls, smashing 17 fours and five sixes, while skipper Faisal Irshad remained unbeaten on 10.
Elsewhere, NIT Jalandhar defeated NITK Surathkal by 23 runs after posting 186/9, powered by Amritpal Singh's 72. Surathkal managed 163/7 in reply despite Shailendra's 47.
NIT Uttarakhand recorded a 49-run victory over NIT Andhra Pradesh after Kuldeep Thakur's explosive 90 helped his side post 143/8. Hitesh Sharma then claimed an impressive 6/15 to bowl out Andhra Pradesh for 94.
NIT Jamshedpur opened their campaign with a five-wicket win over MNNIT Allahabad, successfully chasing 153 with Sumit Sehgal top-scoring with 44.
One of the day's most exciting matches saw NIT Puducherry and MANIT Bhopal finish in a tie after both teams scored 164 runs. Alaguraja K scored 79 for Puducherry, while Akash Mourya replied with 82 for Bhopal.
NIT Calicut comfortably defeated NIT Delhi by nine wickets after restricting Delhi to 115. Ranjith remained unbeaten on 51 during the chase.
NIT Hamirpur produced a dominant display against NIT Sikkim, bowling them out for just 64 before completing the chase in only six overs.
In another close contest, VNIT Nagpur edged past NIT Silchar by three wickets after dismissing Silchar for 79.
Hosted by NIT Srinagar, the tournament aims to promote sportsmanship, teamwork and national integration among faculty and staff members of NITs across the country.