The Mumbai cricket team won a record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy on Thursday. With a 169-run win over Vidarbha, the Ajinkya Rahane-led lifted the trophy. The fate of the final — Mumbai’s 48th in the 90 years of the tournament’s history — at the iconic Wankhede Stadium was sealed when the hosts set a 538-run target for the visiting team. Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar (102) and the unheralded Harsh Dubey (65) kept Mumbai at bay for the entire first session on the last day after Vidarbha resumed on 248 for five, needing another 290 runs to win.
The team was eventually bowled out for 368 in a contest that ebbed and flowed with Vidarbha frustrating the hosts for long periods of play on the last two days.
After the win, Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer could be seen dancing. He had made a crucial 95 for Mumbai in the final. Iyer suffered back spasms during his 95-run knock and had to be checked twice by the Mumbai team physio. He also did not take the field for Mumbai on Wednesday.
A report in Times of India claimed that Iyer may miss the initial matches of the IPL 2024 due to the back spasms. In 2023, Iyer underwent surgery due to the same injury and the recent development can rule him out of the first few matches of IPL 2024. “It is not looking good. It is the same back injury which has got aggravated. It is unlikely he will take the field on Day 5 of the Ranji Trophy final. He is in danger of missing the initial matches of the IPL,” a source told Times Of India in the report.
After the dance video went viral, several social media users asked about the status of his back pain .
What happened to back injury?
— shelby (@offdutyumpire) March 14, 2024
Wish the back news thing is nothing serious and he has a great IPL season…important for KKR and his own career.
— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) March 14, 2024
With back pains
— Prakash (@JeyVamos) March 14, 2024
But he having back pain
— Janhvi kapoor(Parody) (@JanhviKapoor33) March 14, 2024
Back pain thik ho gaya?
— Swapnil (@The_SSwapnil) March 14, 2024
Talking about the match, Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane praised Vidarbha for their gritty display before lifting the trophy and rightly so.
For a team which paid a heavy price for a poor first-innings score — 105 to concede a 119-run lead in response to Mumbai’s 224 — Vidarbha showed resilience to gave a fine account of themselves in the second innings.
Mumbai began the final day hoping to break the sixth-wicket stand between Wadkar and Dubey early but their wait only extended since the batters overcame all challenges that the hosts threw at them.
With the pace bowlers not being able to trouble the batters, Mumbai hopes were pinned on their spinners but their own error cost Rahane’s side early on.
Kotian appealed for a bat-pad catch at silly point against Dubey in the 101st over of the innings but the appeal was turned down.
In a show of desperation, Mumbai went for the DRS intervention which confirmed the ball had not grazed the bat and was also going to miss the leg stump.
Kotian then found an outside edge off Wadkar’s bat which fell close to Rahane.
Mumbai’s frustration was evident when Kulkarni held his ground at the end of his follow through after being declined a leg-before appeal against Dubey.
Kulkarni made some gestures and even exchanged a few words with the umpire but replays confirmed that the ball had pitched outside the leg-stump.
Dubey was also lucky when Kotian pinned him in front of the wickets but Mumbai could not get it overturned since they had no reviews left.
The Vidarbha batter continued to ride his luck, getting another decision in his favour when replays showed the ball had missed his bat and gloves off Shams Mulani.
Wadkar completed his century shortly after lunch but once he was dismissed, the rest of the batting collapsed soon after.
Brief scores: Mumbai: 224 & 418 Vidarbha: 105 & 368 in 134.4 overs (Atharva Taide 32, Aman Mokhade 32, Karun Nair 74, Akshay Wadkar 102; Tanush Kotian 4/95) by 169 runs.
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