Vidarbha beat Kerala on Sunday on the basis of the first innings lead to win the final match of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, which was played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The Akshay Wadkar-led side scored 379 runs in the first innings and then bowled out Sachin Baby & Co. for 342 runs to secure a crucial lead of 37 runs, which in the end proved to be decisive.
The win over Kerala on Sunday has helped Vidarbha end the six-year-long wait for a third Ranji Trophy title. Vidarbha won its first Ranji Trophy title in the 2017-18 season by defeating Rishabh Pant’s Delhi by 9 wickets under the leadership of Faiz Fazal, and in the 2018-19 season it successfully defended the title by defeating Saurashtra in the final match played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur by 78 runs.
Vidarbha played in the final of the Ranji Trophy last year as well but could only end as runners-up against Ajinkya Rahane’s Mumbai.For Kerala, it was the first-ever Ranji Trophy final, but despite their best efforts, they failed to cross the final hurdle.
