Watch: Retiring Dhawal Kulkarni claims final wicket to clinch Mumbai’s first Ranji title in eight years
Watch: Dhawal Kulkarni, playing his final first-class match, claimed the final Vidarbha wicket to hand Mumbai their 42nd Ranji Trophy title and their first in eight years.
The 35-year-old Dhawal Kulkarni, who made his first-class debut back in 2008, cleaned up his former India teammate Umesh Yadav to wrap up the game and give Mumbai a 169-run win. Kulkarni had picked up three wickets in the first innings, but Umesh was the only one in his second.
The day began with Vidarbha 248-5, far away from their target of 538. However, captain Akshay Wadkar and Harsh Dubey kept them in the hunt, taking them to 353-5 before Wadkar was dismissed on 102. Dubey fell the following over, sparking a collapse that saw Vidarbha lose their last five wickets for 15 runs. Tanush Kotian finished with a four-wicket haul, having taken three in the first innings.
As Kulkarni dismissed No.10 Umesh, the Mumbai players hugged each other in joy and were soon joined by their backroom staff on the pitch.
It was Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji win – an overwhelming lead over all other teams – but was also the first one since 2015/16. They reached the final in 2016/17 and 2021/22, but lost to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh respectively.
Emotions ☺️
Classy Gestures 🫡
A Special Triumph 🙌
This moment has it all 👏 👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/L6A9dXXPa2#RanjiTrophy | #Final | #MUMvVID | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @MumbaiCricAssoc pic.twitter.com/rV2ziXZnOV
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 14, 2024
Kulkarni, who played 12 ODIs and two T20Is for India between 2014 and 2016, retires with 281 first-class wickets from 95 matches. He also picked up five-wicket hauls in the 2008/09, 2012/13 and 2015/16 Ranji Trophy finals.
Earlier in the match, a crucial 75 from Shardul Thakur in the first innings, and century by teenager Musheer Khan in the second innings kept Mumbai on the front foot.
Chasing the mammoth total in the fourth innings, Karun Nair scored 74 to keep them in the hunt, while Wadkar and Dubey raised hopes, but once the duo was dismissed, Vidarbha had little fight left.
Watch: Kulkarni takes wicket off final ball
𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐢!
Dhawal Kulkarni takes the final wicket as they beat Vidarbha by 169 runs in the @IDFCFIRSTBank #RanjiTrophy #Final in Mumbai
Brilliant performance from the Ajinkya Rahane-led side 👌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/k7JhkLhgT5 pic.twitter.com/Iu458SZF2F
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 14, 2024
