Wadkar, Dubey fight hard but Mumbai still win their 42nd Ranji title

Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar and Harsh Dubey did their absolute best to put Mumbai under some sort of pressure in the first session of day five of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy final, but it was never going to be enough to stop them from winning this tournament for the 42nd time.

The two put on 130 runs for the sixth wicket and kept Mumbai at bay for a while but once the partnership was broken, Vidarbha lost their remaining wickets in no time. Mumbai eventually emerged victorious by 169 runs.

Having bowled out for just 105 in the first innings, Vidarbha conceded a lead of 119. Mumbai then went on to amass 418 in the second innings and set Vidarbha a massive target of 538.

Wadkar and his men fought hard in the second innings but were still reduced to 133/4. Karun Nair (220-ball 74) then added 90 runs with Wadkar but was dismissed just before the end of day four, with Vidarbha still needing 290 runs on day five.

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Wadkar and Dubey were patient with their approach and batted out the entire first session. The two scored 85 runs in the session and reduced the target to 205. Soon after the lunch break, Wadkar completed his century, his eighth in first-class cricket and second in the Ranji final.

Dubey too had gone past his fifty and just when the pressure was starting to build on Mumbai, Tanush Kotian pinned Wadkar right in front of the stumps and killed Vidarbha’s fightback. Wadkar perished for 102 before Tushar Deshpande sent back Dubey for 65.

Kotian then knocked over Yash Thakur to finish with figures of 4/95. However, it was Dhawal Kulkarni who delivered the final blow. Playing his last professional match, the right-arm seamer knocked over Umesh Yadav to help Mumbai win the Ranji trophy after six seasons.