J&K upsets Mumbai in Ranji thriller with 5-wicket win
Srinagar, Jan 25: Jammu and Kashmir Ranji team stunned a star-studded Mumbai team with a five-wicket victory in their sixth round clash of Ranji Trophy 2024-25 on Saturday at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai.
Chasing a target of 205, J&K’s openers gave a steady start with a 37-run partnership before debutant Yawer Hassan fell to Mohit Avasthi. By lunch, J&K were 85/. Shubham Khujuria (45) and Vivrant Sharma then added a crucial 75-run stand, taking J&K closer to victory.
However, Shams Mulani struck twice in quick succession, removing Khujuria and Vivrant (38), to bring Mumbai back into the game.
Skipper Paras Dogra and Abdul Samad also fell cheaply, with Samad’s aggressive attempt to take on Mulani resulting in an excellent stumping by Hardik Tamore.
At 167/5, the game seemed to hang in the balance. But Abid Mushtaq counterattacked brilliantly, smashing 32 off 32 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes. His partnership with Kanhaiya Wadhawan ensured J&K crossed the finish line in style.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai’s resistance ended at 290, with J&K’s pace attack led by Yudhvir Singh and Aqib Nabi. Shardul Thakur (119) and Tanush Kotian (62) had revived Mumbai with a 184-run stand, but Aqib Nabi broke the partnership by dismissing Thakur.
Nabi was the pick of the bowlers for J&K in the second innings, as he picked 4/80 in his 24 overs, while Yudhvir also scalped three wickets (3/64).
Yudhvir dismissed Kotian, and the Mumbai tail crumbled. Aqib finished with 4 wickets in the innings, while Yudhvir’s 7-wicket haul across both innings proved decisive.
Yudhvir, who claimed 7/95 in the game and scored 20 in the J&K’s first inning, was named Player of the Match. This marks J&K’s second-ever win against Mumbai, the first being in 2014 under the captaincy of Parvez Rasool.
With this win, J&K now sits at the top of Elite Group A with 29 points, having won 4 and drawn 2 of their 6 matches. They will face Baroda in their next match on January 30.
Notably, Rohit made a return to the Ranji Trophy after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandated domestic cricket participation even for veteran international players. However, the return didn't go as planned.