Ranji Trophy final, MP vs Mumbai: Preview, stats, and more
What's the story
Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai would lock horns in the final of the 2021/22 Ranji Trophy season. MP reached their first final since the 1998/99 season after claiming a 174-run win against Bengal in the penultimate clash. On the other hand, Mumbai qualified for their 47th Ranji Trophy final, beating Uttar Pradesh with a first-innings lead. Here is the preview of the final.
Mumbai
Mumbai topped Group D
Mumbai topped Elite Group D, having won two of the three matches. Their first match of the season, versus Saurashtra, ended in a draw. Mumbai then defeated Goa and Odisha to qualify for the quarter-finals. In the quarters, Mumbai registered a record-breaking 725-run win against Uttarakhand. Mumbai won on a first-innings lead in the semi-finals against Uttar Pradesh.
MP
MP topped Elite Group A
Unlike Mumbai, MP won their first match of the season, against Gujarat (by 106 runs). MP then defeated Meghalaya by an innings and 301 runs. They managed to hold Kerala before beating Punjab by 10 wickets. MP claimed a 174-run victory over Bengal to qualify for their first final in the 21st century. They will face 41-champions Mumbai in the summit clash.
Information
MP eye first title since 1953
As stated, MP have reached their first Ranji Trophy final in over 20 years. They last played the final in the 1998-99 season where then-defending champions Karnataka defeated them. Notably, MP last won India's prestigious First-class tournament in 1953.
Mumbai
Most Ranji Trophy titles
Mumbai have won the most number of Ranji Trophy titles to date (41). They have featured in 46 of the 86 finals so far. Mumbai have finished as runners-up just five times, having maintained a win percentage of 89.1. They are miles ahead of second-placed Karnataka, who own eight Ranji Trophy titles. Notably, Mumbai last won the tournament in 2015/16 (beat Saurashtra).
Probable XI
MP vs Mumbai: A look at the Probable XIs
Mumbai (Probable XI): Prithvi Shaw (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Armaan Jaffer, Suved Parkar, Sarfaraz Khan, Hardik Tamore (wicket-keeper), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Avasthi. MP (Probable XI): Yash Dubey, Himanshu Mantri (wicket-keeper), Shubham S Sharma, Rajat Patidar, Aditya Shrivastava (captain), Akshat Raghuwanshi, Saransh Jain, Kumar Kartikeya, Puneet Datey, Anubhav Agarwal, Gaurav Yadav.
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Largest win in First-class cricket (runs)
Mumbai thrashed Uttarakhand to reach the semi-finals. They won the match by 725 runs, the highest margin of victory by runs in First-class cricket. They broke the 92-year-old record of New South Wales, who beat Queensland by 685 runs at the Sheffield Shield.
Sarfaraz
Sarfaraz Khan averages 133.83 this season
Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan has been on a roll in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. He is the leading run-scorer, having slammed 803 runs from just seven innings at an astronomical average of 133.83. The tally includes three centuries, one double-century, and two half-centuries. His scores in the season read as 275 (401), 63 (110), 48 (72), 165 (181), 153 (205), 40 (52), 59*(100).