Ranji Trophy 2025: Vidarbha vs Kerala grand finale on February 26

Vidharbha and Kerala will lock horns in the 2025 Ranji Trophy final on February 26. The venue for the Ranji Trophy grand finale will be disclosed.

 

Let's take a look how Vidharbha got past Mumbai:

  Mumbai vs Vidharbha Ranji Trophy semifinal 

In a pulsating Ranji Trophy semifinal, Harsh Dubey emerged as Vidarbha’s hero, weaving his magic with a stunning five-wicket haul to topple defending champions Mumbai and propel his team into the final with a commanding 80-run victory on Friday.

 

Even as Shardul Thakur’s valiant fifty kept Mumbai’s hopes alive, it was the 22-year-old left-arm spinner from Pune who owned the stage on the final day, dismantling Mumbai’s batting order and etching his name into the record books.

 

A moment of reckoning

 

Chasing an imposing 406, Mumbai’s fightback was led by Thakur, whose gritty 66 off 124 balls and a crucial 103-run stand with Shams Mulani (46) kept the contest on a knife’s edge. But just when Mumbai seemed to claw back, a game-changing moment arrived—a lightning-quick throw from Danish Malewar ran out Mulani, shattering the resistance. 

 

From there, Vidarbha pounced like a pack of hungry wolves. Dubey, already with two wickets from the previous day, returned to add three more to his tally, bulldozing Mumbai’s lower order and sealing the fate of the defending champions.

 

With 66 wickets this season, Dubey now stands on the brink of history—just two wickets shy of the all-time Ranji season record held by Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman.

 

Vidarbha’s rise to dominance

 

This win sends Vidarbha to their fourth Ranji Trophy final, reaffirming their status as a powerhouse in domestic cricket. Having clinched the title in 2017-18 and 2018-19, they now stand just one step away from reclaiming glory.

 

The final blows

 

Mumbai, resuming at 83 for 3, suffered an early jolt when Yash Thakur breached Shivam Dube’s defences in the morning session. A brief partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (23) and Akash Anand (39) provided momentary stability, but Dubey had other plans.

 

His relentless accuracy and guile saw Yadav fall, caught off the shoulder of the bat, before a DRS drama confirmed Anand’s fate, trapped plumb in front. With every wicket, Vidarbha tightened their grip.

 

Despite a late defiant stand from Royston Dias and Mohit Awasthi, Dubey fittingly had the final say, trapping Awasthi in front to send Vidarbha into celebration mode.

 

A performance for the ages, a victory to savour—Vidarbha now awaits their ultimate test in the Ranji Trophy final.

 

Brief Scores:

  Vidarbha 383 & 292 beat Mumbai 270 & 325 all out in 97.5 overs (Shardul Thakur 66, Shams Mulani 46; Harsh Dubey 5/127) by 80 runs.