Ranji Trophy 2023/24: Mumbai beat TN, reach their 48th final
Mumbai beat Tamil Nadu to reach their 48th final in Ranji Trophy history. The Ajinkya Rahane-led Mumbai defeated TN by an innings and 70 runs in the second semi-final at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC. Tamil Nadu were bundled out for 162 on Day 3 in a bid to reduce their deficit. Shardul Thakur starred for Mumbai with a century and four wickets.
A look at match summary
TN perished for 146 after electing to bat first. A concerted bowling performance from Mumbai did the trick. Mumbai faced a similar batting collapse, but Shardul's incredible ton rescued them. An unbeaten 89 from Tanush Kotian powered them to 378. TN skipper Sai Kishore took six wickets. TN survived 51.5 overs in the second innings, managing 162. Baba Indrajith (70) was their lone warrior.
48th Ranji Trophy final for Mumbai
As mentioned, Mumbai have stormed into their 48th Ranji Trophy final. They are the only side to have won the premier First-Class trophy more than 10 times. Mumbai have a record 41 Ranji Trophy titles to their name. They last won the title in the 2015/16 season. Karnataka follow Mumbai in terms of Ranji Trophy titles, with eight of them.
Second final in six seasons
Mumbai have made it to Ranji Trophy finals only twice in the last six seasons. Before the ongoing season, Mumbai were the runners-up in 2021/22, when they lost the final to Madhya Pradesh.
Shardul shines with his maiden First-Class ton
Shardul walked into the middle when Mumbai were 106/7 on Day 2. He started counter-attacking and added 100 runs with Hardik Tamore. After the latter was dismissed, Shardul continued his exploits with Tanush Kotian as they together took Mumbai beyond the 290-run mark. Shardul was eventually dismissed for 109 from 104 balls by Kuldeep Sen. He smashed his maiden First-Class ton.
Four wickets for Shardul
Earlier, Shardul gave Mumbai a dream start when he dismissed Sai Sudharsan in the very first over. Shardul, who later removed Vijay Shankar, finished with figures of 2/48. Meanwhile, Tushar Deshpande claimed 3/24 and was the pick of the bowlers. In the second innings, Shardul conceded just 16 runs in 10 overs, including four maidens. He took two wickets here as well.
Another scintillating knock from Kotian
Shardul stitched a century stand with Hardik Tamore and then added 79 runs with Tanush Kotian. Kotian held his end despite losing Shardul (290/9) and took Mumbai past 378 alongside Deshpande (26). Kotian smashed a 126-ball 89*, a knock laced with 12 fours. He smashed a historic ton in the quarter-final against Baroda, batting at number 10.
An innings-defining six-fer for Kishore
Sai Kishore continued his purple patch with the ball as he claimed his third fifer of Ranji Trophy 2023/24. Sai Kishore bagged figures of worth/97 in the first innings. He Bhupen Lalwani, Mohit Avasthi, skipper Rahane, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani, and Hardik Tamore. In that innings, Sai Kishore completed 50 First-Class wickets. He remains the only bowler with over 50 wickets this season.