Watch: Ajinkya Rahane powers Mumbai to Irani Cup glory, adds another jewel to his crown

Mumbai, under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane, won the Irani Cup 2024 against the Rest of the India squad on Saturday (5th October). The match, which took place at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, ended in a draw, and Mumbai were declared winners based on the first-innings lead.

Mumbai, who won the Ranji Trophy last season, made sure that they continue their golden form in the domestic circuit and add another elite title to their cabinet. The Ajinkya Rahane & Co displayed a magnificent effort with the bat and ball and ensured that they won the Irani Cup for the first time in 27 years.

Mumbai were asked to bat and they came up with the giant effort with the bat. Sarfaraz Khan was the star performer for the team as he played a humongous innings of unbeaten 222 runs. Apart from him, top order also came up with a vital effort for the team that put ROI bowlers under pressure.

Skipper Rahane (97) missed his century by just three runs while Shreyas Iyer (57) and Tanush Kotian (64) slammed half-centuries. Based on the collective effort with the bat, they posted a total of 537 runs on the board and then came up with an equally great effort with the ball.

Mumbai win 15th Irani Cup

Mumbai ended the Rest of India's innings on 416 runs, taking a lead of over 100 runs. In the second innings, although they struggled to get going with the bat initially, Prithvi Shaw held the fort and hit a half-century to keep his team in the hunt and put them in the stop in the game.

But the hero with the bat was Tanush Kotian, who slammed an unbeaten 114 runs. Mohit Avasthi got to his fifty before both the captains shook hands, and Mumbai emerged as the winner. This was the 15th time that the Mumbai side won the Irani Cup, but it took them 27 years to win their 15th title.

Watch: Winning moments for Mumbai as Ajinkya Rahane lifts the trophy

Here are the winning moments for Mumbai:

𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐢 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 #𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 👏 👏

Mohit Avasthi gets his 50. Tanush Kotian remains unbeaten on 114. The players shake hands 🤝

The match ends in a draw & Mumbai win the trophy by virtue of taking first-innings lead 🙌#IraniCup | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/0GTKkAdU6m

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 5, 2024

That Winning Feeling! 👏 👏

Congratulations to the @ajinkyarahane88-led Mumbai on their #IraniCup triumph 🙌 🙌#IraniCup | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/Er0EHGOZKh pic.twitter.com/1h1kAXLCHR

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 5, 2024

Special feeling, winning after 27 years feels amazing - Ajinkya Rahane

Mumbai Skipper Ajinkya Rahane spoke about the win, saying that it's a special feeling for them to win the Irani Cup after 27 years. He credited Sarfaraz Khan and Tanush Kotian for their contributions and said that this is the beginning for the team, and they want to carry on good form.

Rahane also said that he wants to set the right example for the young players in Mumbai and wants to play the game in the right way. While Speaking to broadcasters after the game, he explained:

"Special feeling, winning after 27 years feels amazing. We knew before the game we were up against a very good team. We wanted to bat first as it's a red-soil wicket. We play at the Wankhede, so we know how it behaves. Every session counts in a five-day game; everyone batted well, Sarfaraz, but I want to mention one name - Tanush, last season he was amazing, and this game as well. [on which is better - Ranji or Irani?] It's equally special.

"This is the beginning of the season. We wanted to take it as just a game, like a Ranji Trophy game, and we wanted to approach it that way. The plus point was everyone played games, some were playing the Buchi Babu, KSCA, club games and credit goes to the support staff, our off-season started in June. As long as I'm playing, I want to set the right example, this trophy belongs to all the Mumbaikars, all the maidaan people, club cricketers, I want to play the game in the right way and be truthful to the game."