All they do is win! Mumbai has done it once again. The domestic giants have added another title to their already big trophy cabinet. The juggernauts have won a record-extending 42nd title after beating Vidarbha by 169 runs in the Ranji Trophy 2024 Final at the Wankhede Stadium.
The architects of their fabulous win were 19-year-old Musheer Khan, the younger brother of Indian cricketer Sarfaraz Khan, and Shardul Thakur, a man known to step up when it matters the most.
Musheer scored an imperious second-inning century and ended up being the highest run scorer for Mumbai while also picking up two wickets in the fourth inning. Meanwhile, Shardul scored a match-winning 75 in the first inning after his team was 111/6. He then later returned to claim the first wicket of Vidarbha’s inning to kickstart a proception.
Rahane & Iyer stood when it mattered
Going through a rough patch all season, Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane notched an important 73 when it mattered the most. Although they have a substantial lead of 119 runs, given the flatness of the deck, it was essential to take the team to a total from which there was no losing.
Shreyas Iyer, who has been in the headlines for missing out on the BCCI central contract, smashed a quickfire 95 off 111 balls and ensured that Mumbai was way ahead of Vidarbha. By the time both departed, the lead was 451 runs, and the match was more or less over.
Dhawal Kulkarni ends his career on a high
The fast bowler may have taken just four wickets out of 20, but his impact was much more than that. Having been out with injury, just having him in the lineup bolstered Mumbai’s lineup. Playing in his final match, he scalped the prized wickets of Karun Nair, Atharva Taide, and Aman Mokhade in the first inning and then claimed the final wicket of Umesh Yadav in the second inning to end his career by giving Mumbai yet another trophy.
Ranji Trophy 2024 Final: Brief Scores
Mumbai 1st inning: 224/10 (Shardul Thakur 75, Prithvi Shaw 46; Harsh Dubey 3/62, Yash Thakur 3/54)
Vidarbha 1st inning: 105/10 (Yash Rathod 27, Atharva Taide 23; Tanush Kotian 3/7, Dhawal Kulkarni 3/15)
Mumbai 2nd inning: 418/10 (Musheer Khan 136, Shreyas Iyer 95; Harsh Dubey 5/144, Yash Thakur 3/79)
Vidarbha 2nd inning: 368/10 (Akshay Wadkar 102, Harsh Dubey 65; Tanish Kotian 4/95, Musheer Khan 2/48)
MUM vs VID: Playing XIs
Mumbai: Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Musheer Khan, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Tamore (wk), Shams Mulani, Shardul Thakur, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Dhawal Kulkarni.
Vidarbha: Atharva Taide, Dhruv Shorey, Aman Mokhade, Karun Nair, Yash Rathod, Akshay Wadkar (c & wk), Aditya Sarwate, Umesh Yadav, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur, Aditya Thakare.
Editors pick
