Defeat valiant Vidarbha by 169 runs

Domestic Giants Mumbai overcame a stubborn resistance from state rivals Vidarbha before winning the premier Ranji Trophy title for a record 42nd time on the final day in front of thousands of their supportive fans at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai celebrating its 50 years of existence.

Chasing an mammoth target of 538 runs for an outright win after conceding a 119 runs first innings lead at the end of Day 2, the two times former champions Vidarbha were bowled out for 368 in their second innings (Overnight - 248/5 in 92 overs), despite their skipper Akshay Wadkar patience ton and Harsh Dubey disciplined fifty soon after lunch session in 134.3 overs. All-rounder Tanush Kotian (4/95) infact provided ended the 130 run sixth wicket partnership off 255 balls, by having Akshay trapped leg before with a slower one, after the visitors valiant resistance wherein they batted out an entire session of 33 overs while scoring 85 runs to reduce the target to 205 runs. Appropriately it was Mumbai’s veteran pacer Dhawal Kulkarni who in his final first class game of his career had provided the initial blow in the first innings also was in the thick of action after as he castled last man Umesh Yadav (6) in the second innings, that triggered a wild celebration among his team mates on and off the field amidst the synchronized beats of drummers.  The soft spoken Dhawal who played in the sixth final in his 16-year career ensured his fifth Ranji Trophy championship, after making an impact in his first one way back in the 2008, when Mumbai outplayed Uttar Pradesh by a massive margin of 243 runs in the final then.

It was Shradul Thakur’s attacking 75 runs that ensured Mumbai put on 224 on the scoreboard after being 111 for 6 at one stage on the opening day, before Mumbai spinners Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian along with Dhawal’s’ three wickets haul each ensured the visitors were bowled out for 105 in the opening session on day two. Rahane (73) and Shreyas Iyer (95) contrasting fifties along with Shams Mulani unbeaten fifty coupled with a patient century by 19-year old all-rounder Musheer Khan (136) ensured Mumbai post 418 in their second innings over the next two days that ensured them a deserved title after suffering heart break against Madhya Pradesh two seasons ago.

Ajinkya Rahane in the process became the 26th Mumbai skipper to win the Ranji Trophy and also took home the winner’s cheque of Rs 5 crore. The same came after a long gap of eight years for Mumbai, and was the first at Wankhede (won 11 out of their 13 finals) where they last lifted it way back in 2012-13 at the expense of Saurarshtra. The ex-Indian captain Ajinkya paid glowing tributes to the fighting spirit of Vidarbha  post the match and said “ The way they showed fight throughout, it would have been very easy for them to give up. The way they have been playing for the last 7-8 years has been great to see. This win means a lot to us as it came at the expense of back to back disappointment in the previous two seasons where we lost narrowly to Madhya Pradesh in the final and later didn’t qualify by 1 run, that really hurt us”.

Showing great largesse for the welfare of the winning team, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) under the leadership of its President Amol Kale, Secretary Ajinkya Naik and Apex Council announced a matching prize money that BCCI gave to Ranji champions to ensure Rahane & Co became richer by Rs 10 crores for the triumph.

Mumbai Path to Finals

Elite Group B League Phase:

Mumbai beat Bihar by an innings and 51 runs at Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, Patna. PoM: Mohit Avasthi (Mumbai).

Mumbai beat Andhra Pradesh by 10 wickets at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai. PoM: Shams Mulani (Mumbai).

Mumbai beat Kerala by 232 runs at St Xavier's College Ground, Thiruvananthapuram. PoM: Mohit Avasthi (Mumbai).

Mumbai lost to Uttar Pradesh by 2 wickets at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. PoM:Nitish Rana (Mumbai)

Mumbai beat Bengal by an innings and 4 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. PoM: Mohit Avasthi (Mumbai).

Mumbai drew Chhattisgarh, Took 1 run Ist Innings lead at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur. PoM: Amandeep Khare (Chhattisgarh).

Mumbai beat Assam by an innings and 80 runs at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai. PoM: Shardul Thakur (Mumbai).

Knock-out Stage

Quarter Final: Mumbai drew Baroda, Qualified on the basis of 36 runs Ist Innings lead at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai. PoM: Musheer Khan (Mumbai)

Semi Final: Mumbai beat Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai. PoM: Shardul Thakur (Mumbai).

Brief Scores (Final):

Mumbai:  (1st Innings)  - 224/10 in 64.3 overs  (Shardul Thakur 75 (69b: 8x4s, 3x6s), Prithvi Shaw 46 (63b: 5x4s), Bhupen Lalwani 37 (64b: 4x4s); Yash Thakur 3/54, Harsh Dubey 3/62, Umesh Yadav 2/43, Aditya Thakare 1/36) & (2nd Innings) - 418/10 in 130.2 overs (Musheer Khan 136 (326b: 10x4s), Shreyas Iyer 95 (111b: 10x4s, 3x6s), Ajinkya Rahane 73 (143b: 5x4s, 1x6); Shams Mulani 50*(85b: 6x4s); Harsh Dubey 5/144, Yash Thakur 3/79, Aman Mokhade 1/17, ) beat Vidarbha: (1st Innings) - 105/10 in 45.3 overs (Yash Rathod 27 (67b: 3x4s), Atharva Taide 23 (60b: 2x4s), Yash Thakur 16 (29b: 3x4s); Tanush Kotian 3/7, Dhawal Kulkarni 3/15, Shams Mulani 3/32, Shardul Thakur 1/22) & (2nd Innings) – 368/10 in 134.3 Overs (Akshay Wadkar 102 (199b: 9x4s,1x6), Karun Nair 74 (220b: 3x4s), Harsh Dubey 65 (128b: 5x4s, 2x6), Atharva Taide 32 (64b: 4x4s),  Aman Mokhade 32 (78b: 2x4s); Tanush Kotian 4/95, Musheer Khan 2/48, Tushar Deshpande 2/53, Dhawal Kulkarni 1/38, Shams Mulani 1/75) by 169 runs. Player of the Match: Musheer Khan (Mumbai). Player of the Series: Tanush Kotian (Mumbai)