Face of IPL Anil Chaudhary to officiate in Ranji Trophy final for record 5th time

Coveted umpire in the international and domestic circuit, Anil Chaudhary, had been appointed as the on-field umpire for the upcoming final of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. The title-decider will be Chaudhary's fifth in the India's premier domestic red-ball competition, which will be a record. Chaudhary will be officiating alongside JR Madangopal.

Chaudhary has officiated in a whopping 226 matches in the Indian Premier League in different capacities - both as umpire and match referee. He has also officiated in 90 First-Class games up until now.

The final of the 90th edition of the estemmed tournament is slated to be played between Vidarbha and Gujarat at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The summit clash will be played at the same venue at which the second semi-final was played, a contest in which Vidarbha got the better of the defending champions, Mumbai, by 80 runs.

Speaking of the first semi-final, Kerala defeated Jammu and Kashmir in a thrilling game being played at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad by the narrowest of margins of a two-run lead. A dramatic turnaround on the final day of the game saw Kerala take Gujarat's final four wickets while the latter required just 28 runs to secure the crucial lead. 

Vidarbha finished on second position after winning four games out of seven in Group B. Meanwhile, Kerala finished on the same position in Group C with one fewer win in as many games. Both the sides have been unbeaten in their run to the final. 

Vidarbha, who have retained their 17-member squad, will be appearing in their fourth final in the Ranji Trophy. On the other hand, Kerala will be appearing in their inaugural final, keen on going all the way to cap off a historic season.