Mumbai Marches into Ranji Trophy Final, Set to Face Vidarbha or Madhya Pradesh
Mumbai thrashed Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs in the Ranji Trophy semifinal on Monday, booking their place in the final for the 47th time in the tournament’s history.
The summit clash, which begins on March 10th at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, will see Mumbai face either Vidarbha or Madhya Pradesh, who are currently locked in their semifinal battle.
Led by veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbai dominated the match from the start. Their strong batting performance, coupled with a clinical bowling display, ensured a comfortable victory.
Bowling first, Mumbai bowled out Tamilnadu for only 146. In the second innings, a minor trouble came when Mumbai found themselves at 106/7 but Shardul Thakur (109) and Tanush Kotian (89) rescued the innings as Mumbai posted 378 on board.
𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐢 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥! 👏
A superb performance from the @ajinkyarahane88-led side as they beat Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs in Semi Final 2 of the @IDFCFIRSTBank #RanjiTrophy 🙌#MUMvTN | #SF2
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/9tosMLk9TT pic.twitter.com/bOikVOmBn1
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 4, 2024
From that moment, Tamilnadu were under pressure and it definitely affected their batting. Shardul led the charge for Mumbai in third innings, disimissing both openers cheaply.
Things only went worse for Tamilnadu, Baba Indrajith showed some resistance but pressure was a bit too much and Shams Mulani did the rest for Mumbai by breaking down the middle order of Tamilnadu.
This win comes after Mumbai finished the group stage with the highest points tally in the Elite division, accumulating 37 points from seven games.
In the quarterfinal, Mumbai faced a tough challenge from Baroda at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Despite not securing an outright victory, they managed to advance to the semi-finals on the basis of their first-innings lead
With this win, Mumbai, the 41-time champion of the Ranji Trophy, is all set to add another chapter to their illustrious history in the premier First-Class domestic tournament of India.
The stage is now set for an exciting final at the Wankhede Stadium, where Mumbai will look to claim their 42nd Ranji Trophy title.
