Shreyas Iyer dances in jubilation to celebrate Mumbai's 42nd Ranji Trophy triumph

India and Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer was seen jubilant after his team’s historic 42nd Ranji Trophy triumph on Thursday, March 14, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Notably, Mumbai beat Vidarbha by 169 runs in the summit clash as they bundled them out for 368 on Day 5 and clinched the trophy. Following their victory, Iyer was seen ecstatically dancing to the tunes of Maharashtra’s famous Nashik Dhol.

Notably, the 29-year-old made a brilliant comeback in the game with a valuable knock of 95 (111) in his team's second innings after being dismissed for just 7 (15) in the first innings. The innings held substantial importance for Iyer given the heightened scrutiny on his performances following his removal from the list of BCCI's central contract for the 2023-24 season.

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Notably, the BCCI removed both Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the list of centrally contracted players as the duo reportedly skipped domestic matches despite receiving repeated directives from the board officials. However, Iyer did appear for three matches for Mumbai this season, scoring 153 runs from four innings at an average of 38.25, with a highest score of 95 coming in the all-important final. On the other hand, Kishan didn’t make himself available for a single Ranji game, finally making an appearance in the DY Patil T20 Cup after a stern warning from BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

Vidarbha captain scored a valiant hundred

Meanwhile, Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar stood up for his side in the final and notched up a brilliant ton (102 off 199) after his team was reeling at 223/5 chasing a humongous target of 538 runs. He was well supported by Harsh Dubey who scored a brilliant 65 (128) as the duo put on a fighting 130-run stand for the sixth wicket.

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However, their stand was broken by Tanush Kotian, who was later adjudged Player of the Tournament, as he trapped Wadkar in front of the stumps. Following his dismissal, Vidarbha’s lower middle-order and tail failed to survive for long as they were eventually bowled out for 368 as Dhawal Kulkarni took the last wicket of Umesh Yadav in the former’s final first-class appearance. Mumbai’s Musheer Khan was adjudged Player of the Match for his scintillating innings of 136 (326) as well as his radiant final innings spell with the ball which read 24-3-48-2, as he became the youngest centurion in the final of a Ranji Trophy at the age of 19 years and 14 days.