MasterChef India 9 runner-up, winner name: The race for the MasterChef India 9 trophy reaches its peak as Sony Entertainment Television prepares to declare the winning family pair. The grand finale episode airs on 6 March at 8pm, with viewers also able to watch the climax on SonyLIV, bringing an end to over two months of contests in the MasterChef kitchen.
Sony TV PR Image/ Sony TV Instagram and X Handle
The top three teams fighting for the title are all family duos who have cooked side by side through the season. Brothers Ajinkya and Vikram Gandhe from Nagpur, sisters Anju Pradhan and Manju Ojha from Odisha, and Hyderabad-based mother-daughter pair Chandana and Sai Sri Rachakonda are the finalists.
MasterChef India 9 finale date, time and where to watch
The channel has lined up a star-filled final episode, scheduled in March 2026, with the decisive cook-off booked for 6 March at 8pm. The telecast goes out on Sony Entertainment Television, while the complete finale will also be available for streaming on SonyLIV for those watching online.
“Sony Entertainment Television has promised to take the audience on a roller coaster ride with MasterChef India 9. With only six contestants remaining in the race, the channel and the production house want to end things on a blockbuster, the contestants have to bring their best game in the kitchen by experimenting with new dishes and showcasing their creative skills in the show. Those who survive will race ahead, while others will get eliminated. Only the top three finalists will enter the finale week. MasterChef India 9 grand finale is scheduled to air in March 2026. It will air on March 6 at 8pm, depending on the schedule of the channel,” a reliable industry source earlier told Filmibeat Chief Copy Editor Abhishek Ranjit.
MasterChef India 9 winner, runner-up, top 2 finalists
The three finalist duos represent different forms of family ties, with brothers, sisters and a mother-daughter team making it to this stage. Their menus reflect home-style cooking from Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana, while also adapting regional spices and classic dishes to the pressure tests and challenges set inside the MasterChef India 9 kitchen.
According to Filmibeat’s poll, Ajinkya and Vikram Gandhe received the highest backing from viewers, with the pair gaining the most votes among the three remaining teams. The brothers’ performances across tasks and consistent feedback from judges suggest they are seen as favourites to lift the MasterChef India season 9 trophy.
Anju Pradhan and Manju Ojha are tipped to finish in second place based on the same poll and are expected to end the season as runner-up duo for MasterChef India 2026. Chandana and Sai Sri Rachakonda complete the finalist line-up and remain in contention heading into the last cook.
MasterChef India 9 eliminated contestants list and family pairs
Across the season, MasterChef India 9 tracks the journeys of several family duos from different states, with eliminations slowly narrowing the field. The first exit among the pairs listed came on 23 January, when Raksha and Kanchana Devi from Bir in Himachal Pradesh, a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law team, left as the 12th eliminated pair on the show.
By 30 January, another family pair, father-in-law and daughter-in-law duo Vishnu and Harshini Purohit from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, became the 11th elimination. Further weeks saw more relatives depart, including combinations from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, each representing different relationships as they tried to claim the MasterChef India 9 title.
Later episodes featured a run of exits leading into the closing stages. Parvati and Himang Soni from Bikaner in Rajasthan, a mother-son duo, left on 6 February as the 10th elimination. Deepali Bihani and Jamuna Somani from Mumbai, who entered as sisters, followed on 13 February. On 20 February, Chhattisgarh siblings Mahfooz and Yasmin Ansari were knocked out, ahead of Kerala’s father-daughter team Venu and Avani Sharma, who exited on 27 February.
The final week of eliminations saw three more pairs leave the competition. Mumbai-based sisters-in-law Archana Dhotre and Rupalie Jadhav departed on 2 March as the 6th elimination. On 3 March, Mathura sisters Simran and Himanshi Vohra were sent home as the 5th exit, while Ludhiana-Jalandhar brother-sister duo Anshmeet Singh and Prabhdeep Kaur left on 5 March, becoming the 4th eliminated pair.
Below is a summary table of the three finalists on MasterChef India 9:
| Contestants | City and State | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| Ajinkya and Vikram Gandhe | Nagpur, Maharashtra | Brothers |
| Anju Pradhan and Manju Ojha | Puri, Odisha / Bhubaneswar, Odisha | Sisters |
| Chandana and Sai Sri Rachakonda | Hyderabad, Telangana | Mother-Daughter |
The eliminated contestants and their details from MasterChef India 9 are listed below:
| Contestants | Hometowns | Relationship | Status | Elimination date | Elimination order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anshmeet Singh and Prabhdeep Kaur | Ludhiana, Punjab / Jalandhar, Punjab | Brother-Sister | Eliminated | 05 March | 4th |
| Simran and Himanshi Vohra | Mathura, Uttar Pradesh | Sisters | Eliminated | 03 March | 5th |
| Archana Dhotre and Rupalie Jadhav | Mumbai, Maharashtra | Sisters-in-law | Eliminated | 02 March | 6th |
| Venu and Avani Sharma | Kasaragod, Kerala | Father-Daughter | Eliminated | 27 February | 7th |
| Mahfooz and Yasmin Ansari | Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh / Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh | Brother-Sister | Eliminated | 20 February | 8th |
| Deepali Bihani and Jamuna Somani | Mumbai, Maharashtra | Sisters | Eliminated | 13 February | 9th |
| Parvati and Himang Soni | Bikaner, Rajasthan | Mother-Son | Eliminated | 06 February | 10th |
| Vishnu and Harshini Purohit | Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh | Father-in-law and Daughter-in-law | Eliminated | 30 January | 11th |
| Raksha and Kanchana Devi | Bir, Himachal Pradesh | Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law | Eliminated | 23 January | 12th |
MasterChef India 9 features judges Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Kunal Kapur, who assess every dish from the family duos. With the title fight set for 6 March at 8pm, the final decision now rests with the judges as the three remaining teams aim to secure the trophy in front of a national audience.
