(Cricket News) Mumbai yet again proved that they are the most dominating side in the domestic circuit, as they lifted their 42nd Ranji trophy title in the history of the tournament. The title came after a long 8-year wait for the Mumbaikars, having won it last in the 2015-16 season.

Spin-bowling allrounder Tanush Kotian and fast bowler Tushar Deshpande were the stars on the final day as they crushed Vidarbha’s dream. Mumbai dismissed the Vidarbha side on 368, in an unprecedented chase of 538. Akshay Wadkar and Harsh Dubey showed some resistance on the 5th day, to take the Vidarbha innings forward, however the dismissal of skipper Wadkar opened the floodgates as they lost their last 5 wickets for just 15 runs.

Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande scalped 2 wickets each on the final day to ensure that Vidarbha do not go away with a record chase. Dhawal Kulkarni, who was playing his final game, clinched the last wicket to give the game a fitting finish.

“It is quite memorable because you want to end your career on a high. I wasn’t actually ready (to bowl that over). But then Ajinkya and Shardul Thakur asked me to bowl that over. It was quite a memorable game,” Kulkarni said after the game.

Immediately after the win, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced Rs 5 crore for the Mumbai team matching the prize money that the BCCI gives to Ranji champions. “MCA president Amol Kale and Apex Council have decided to match the BCCI Ranji Trophy prize money. The MCA will pay an additional sum of Rs 5 crore to the winning Mumbai Ranji Trophy team. It has been a great year for the MCA as the association has won seven titles and we have made it to the knockout stage in all age groups in BCCI tournaments,” MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik said.

Musheer khan was awarded the player of the match for his exceptional knock of 136 runs in the 2nd innings and also his contribution with ball, picking up 2 wickets in the 4th innings of the game. Tanush Kotian was awarded with the Player of the series for his consistency and all-round brilliance throughout the tournament.

Mumbai: 224 (Shardul Thakur 75, Yash Thakur 3-54, Dubey 3-62) and 418 (Musheer 136, Iyer 95, Dubey 5-144) beat Vidarbha: 105 (Rathod 27, Kotian 3-7, Kulkarni 3-15) and 368 (Wadkar 102, Nair 74, Kotian 4-95, Musheer 2-48) by 169 runs

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