Rutgers University Cricket Club won the National College Cricket Association (NCCA) Northeast Zone Regional over the weekend of October 10–11, 2026, in Massachusetts. Rutgers beat Penn State by six wickets in the semi-final and the University of Connecticut by seven wickets in the final on Sunday afternoon.
How Rutgers won it
- Group stage: Rutgers went 4–1 in a 10-team T20 field at Fino Field in Milford, including 272/6 against RPI and 201/6 against Cornell, and advanced with a net run rate of +6.138.
- Semi-final: Penn State made 116/8 in 18 overs. Rutgers chased it down in 14.5 overs, led by Rachit Shah’s 60 not out off 42 balls.
- Final: UConn made 141/6. Rutgers reached 142/3 in 17.3 overs to win by seven wickets, with Abhiram Sridhar Gidugu making 63 and captain Adhiran Karthikraja 44 not out.
Top performers
- Abhiram Sridhar Gidugu: 204 runs, the most in the tournament, at a strike rate of 162, including 80 against Cornell and 63 in the final.
- Aravind Kalaivanan: 159 runs at a strike rate of 224, including 115 off 37 balls against RPI, plus 16 sixes and five wickets.
- Rachit Shah: 157 runs, and player of the match in the semi-final.
- Vedant Naik: 113 runs at a strike rate of 177, with 12 sixes.
- Shreshth Agrawal: nine wickets, including 3 for 25 in the final.
- Adityasriram Josyula: eight wickets at an economy rate of 3.82.
Why this matters for young cricketers
College cricket is the next step for many of the young players we cover. Clubs like Rutgers compete through the National College Cricket Association, with regional tournaments leading to a national championship. If your child is in high school and wants to keep playing, it’s worth asking which colleges on their list have an active cricket club.
New to cricket in the US? Start with our parent’s guide to getting started, or find a program near you in our youth cricket coaching directory.
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Sources
Results and figures are from Yahoo Sports and Rutgers University’s announcement. Full scorecards are on the National College Cricket Association’s CricClubs page.
USA Youth Cricket is an independent site and is not affiliated with Rutgers University or the National College Cricket Association. See our Disclaimer & Terms of Use.