IMAGE: Vidarbha's players pose for a picture after defeating Kerala in the Ranji Trophy final in Nagpur on Sunday. Photograph: BCCI Domestic/X
Vidarbha were crowned Ranji Trophy champions after defeating Kerala on the basis of the first innings lead on the fifth and last day of the final in Nagpur on Sunday.
A brilliant showing in domestic cricket this season culminated in their third Ranji title. They earlier won the competition in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
The fate of the contest was all but sealed on the third evening, when Vidarbha edged ahead with a slender lead of 37 runs in the first innings, having dismissed a doughty Kerala for 342 after putting up 379 runs batting first.
First-time finalists Kerala, fought hard but Vidarbha were rewarded for their incredible hard work and discipline throughout a season in which they not only clinched the Ranji Trophy but also ended up runners-up in the 50-overs’ Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Sunday’s triumph makes Vidarbha, Ranji Trophy runners-up last season, one of the strongest outfits in the Indian domestic cricket.
Under the captaincy of Akshay Wadkar and head coach Usman Ghani, the team produced dominant performances throughout this Ranji season which, for the first time in its 90-year history, was split into two halves.
Vidarbha emerged the best team across all the four groups in the league stage with six wins in seven matches, giving them 40 points.
Unlike Kerala, who also had luck on their side in the knock-outs when they beat Jammu and Kashmir (quarter-finals) and Gujarat (semi-finals) by the barest of margins and progressed on the basis of first-innings leads, Vidarbha scored outright victories.
They crushed Tamil Nadu, last year's semi-finalists, by 198 runs in the quarter-finals and went on to pummel defending champions Mumbai by 80 runs in the semi-finals.
Overall, Vidarbha won nine of the 10 matches they played in the Ranji Trophy this season, which reflects the dominance of the team in India's premier domestic competition.
On Sunday, they did what they had planned — to bat, bat and bat — and amassed 375 for 9, with Karun Nair scoring 135 (295 balls, 10x4s, 2x6s), Danish Malewar 73 and Darshan Nalkande chipping in with a 51 not out.
They resumed the final day's play with the contest completely in their control, having an overnight lead of 286 runs.
Even though Nair could only add three runs to his overnight tally, Vidarbha batted long enough — close to the tea break — taking their overall lead to 412 runs, far beyond the reach of Sachin Baby's side.
The triumph was achieved on the back of all-round performances, which had two of Vidarbha's youngest players taking charge of their team's showings on the field.
22-year-old left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey created the record for most wickets in a Ranji Trophy season with 69 dismissals, going past the previous record of 68 wickets, which belonged to Bihar's Ashutosh Aman.
Dubey also implemented the batting tips given by the legendary Ravichandran Ashwin to garner 476 runs in 10 matches, which included five fifties, perhaps to show early signs of another spin-bowling all-rounder in the making for India.
The 24-year-old Yash Rathod, a bespectacled left-handed batter, amassed 960 runs at 53.33 in 10 matches, with five centuries and three fifties, to top the charts for batters, which had plenty of his teammates as well.
The veteran Nair, who had joined Vidarbha this season, not only led their charge in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with five tons but also finished as the fourth highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, amassing 863 in nine matches at 53.93, with four tons and two fifties. In the final, Nair struck 86 and 135.
The 21-year-old Malewar, who struck 153 and 73 in the final, finished fifth with 783 runs at 52.20 with two tons and six fifties.
Nair and Malewar were the architects of Vidarbha's win in the final, for they forged partnerships of 215 and 183 runs in the two innings to steer the team out of troubled waters in both innings.
Skipper Wadkar was not too far behind, at seventh position with 722 runs in 10 matches at 45.12 with two tons and as many fifties.
Wadkar told the broadcaster after the match, "Everyone worked hard throughout, and we're all very happy. Last year, we lost the final. So we prepared during the monsoon itself. Every individual worked on himself."
© 2025