Mumbai claim 41st Ranji title

PUNE: Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy for a record 41st time with a comprehensive innings and 21 run victory over Saurashtra on day three of the five-day final here on Friday. Not many would have predicted Mumbai to run away with the title in less than three days but their bowlers dismissed Saurashtra for 115 to cap off a dramatic day three. The record Ranji Trophy champions got their hands on the trophy for the first time in three seasons and now they have 41 titles to their name in 45 finals with 10 of them being an innings victory. Karnataka are a distant second in the overall Ranji standings with eight titles. It was a repeat of the 2012-13 final where Mumbai had made short work of Saurashtra with an innings and 125-run triumph. Mumbai were mere 27 runs ahead of Saurashtra at the start of day three before they went on to make 371 in 82.2 overs from an overnight 262/8 in their first innings. Saurashtra, who managed 235 in their first innings, failed miserably with the bat in the second essay, lasting 48.2 overs. Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur ran through the opposition batting, ending with five wickets for 26 runs in 13.2 overs to take his match tally to eight. Cheteshwar Pujara, could not come to his team’s rescue and ended with scores of 4 and 27 in the allimportant final. S Iyer was deservingly named man of the match for his 117 in Mumbai’s only innings of the match. He ended the season as the leading run-getter with 1321 runs at 73.38 including four centuries and seven fifties. Siddhesh Lad, who started the day on 22, ended up Mumbai team pose after winning Ranji final against Saurashtra in Pune on Friday. (PTI) with 88 and took Mumbai to 371 from 268/9 with the help of number 11 Balwinder Sandhu (34 not out). Lad’s innings comprised eight fours and five sixes. “We have worked very hard for this, starting from the off-season camp, and yes, we’ll party hard tonight,” Lad said after the win. Mumbai wicket-keeper batsman, who ended with most dismissals (48) this season, said the victory was a result of total team effort. BRIEF SCORES Saurashtra 235 and 115 (Pujara 27; Thakur 5/26) lost to Mumbai 371 (Lad 88, Thakkar 117, Sandhu 34; Unadkat 4/118) by an innings and 21 runs. (PTI)