Ranji Trophy 2022 Final: Madhya Pradesh Beat 41-Time Champions Mumbai To Lift Maiden Title

Madhya Pradesh on Sunday bagged their maiden Ranji Trophy title after thumping 41-time champions Mumbai in the final at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Madhya Pradesh chased 108 in the fourth innings in 29.5 overs to win the Ranji Trophy 2022 by six wickets and lift the coveted trophy for the first time in history.

Madhya Pradesh thump Mumbai to lift maiden Ranji Trophy title

All the Aditya Shrivastava-led side was in need of a draw on Day five to put their hands on India’s premier domestic title.

Madhya Pradesh had already gained the advantage of a 162-run lead in the first innings and according to the rules, the team with a first-innings lead in knockout games in red-ball fixtures is declared victorious.

Thanks to centuries by Yash Dubey (133), Shubham Sharma (116) and Rajat Patidar (122) as Madhya Pradesh responded with 536 to Mumbai’s 374 in the first innings. The pressure was on Mumbai to script a miracle to add the 42nd title to their cabinet but they lost wickets with the intention to score quick runs on the final day.

Congratulations Madhya Pradesh on winning the #RanjiTrophy2022! We've witnessed some terrific performances throughout the season. Great efforts by everyone @BCCI for ensuring another successful Ranji season amidst the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/qMxmvUNYZf

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) June 26, 2022

It is the moment of a lifetime for me: Aditya Shrivastava

Mumbai needed an outright win and their batters including Sarfaraz Khan planned to up the ante. However, the Prithvi Shaw-led side could manage to set a target of 108 after getting bowled out for 269 in the second innings.

Dhawal Kulkarni and Shams Mulani were right on the business to get early wickets and exert pressure on MP. But the bowlers didn’t have enough runs to defend as MP finished 108 for four.

“Completely ecstatic. Generation kind of time has gone by since MP has won the Ranji Trophy for the first time. It is the moment of a lifetime for me. The emotions are deep, we are trying to laugh it out but we are extremely emotional from the inside,” Madhya Pradesh captain Aditya Shrivastava said.

“This has been my first year as captain and whatever I know about leading a side is from Chandrakant (Pandit) Sir. I would like to continue this. The stage is going to get to our mind but we have to stick to the process, that is what has got us here and will keep us here.

“That is the mantra we were speaking about in the meetings too. It is a good group coming through as we have been playing together from 2013. There is a good mix of youngsters and experienced players. Doing it once was not at all easy but it is going to be tougher to do it again,” he added.

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan was awarded player of the series for another astounding season with the bat. Sarfaraz aggregated 982 runs in nine innings at an average of 122.75 including three centuries.

Mumbai’s left-arm spinner Shams Mulani finished the season with the most wickets- 45 in six matches at 16.75.

Also Read: There Is Absolutely No Harm In Getting Sarfaraz Khan Closer To Indian Test Squad – Sanjay Manjrekar