Ranji Trophy: Mumbai's dominance in Finals played at Wankhede

Mumbai Cricket Team has been a dominant force in the history of the Ranji Trophy so far and they have been prolific in all the final matches of the tournament played at the Wankhede. They have played finals at this stadium on 13 occasions and have won the trophy 11 times out of it. Writes ETV Bharat's Nikhil Bapat.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The iconic Wankhede Stadium in south Mumbai has hosted several memorable Ranji Trophy encounters. The ground is special for all Mumbai players including legendary Sachin Tendulkar as it is their home ground. So when Mumbai players play at this picturesque Stadium off Marine Drive, they play with a different zeal and enthusiasm.

Mumbai have been Ranji Trophy Champions for a record 42 times and their 42nd Championship win came after they outplayed Vidarbha by 169 runs at this very Stadium as they rode on young Musheer Khan's terrific hundred and a splendid show by the bowlers.

Mumbai have been dominant when it comes to Ranji Trophy finals played at the Wankhede Stadium.

Domestic giants Mumbai have played 13 Ranji Trophy finals at this Stadium, whose premises also houses the office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).

Of the 13 summit clashes it has played, Mumbai have won the Trophy for 11 times. Only on a couple of occasions, Mumbai ended as runners-up. The first final Mumbai lost at the Wankhede Stadium was to arch-rivals Karnataka in the 1982-1983 season.

The Karnataka team was led by former IPL chairman and former India player Brajesh Patel. The side comprised the likes of legendary GR Viswanath, current BCCI president Roger Binny and Karnataka State Cricket Association chief Raghuram Bhat. Karnataka had won the summit clash courtesy of the first-innings lead. The only other final that Mumbai lost at the Wankhede Stadium was the 1990-1991 season, which is an iconic game in the history of the coveted domestic tournament.

A star-studded Mumbai led by Sanjay Manjrekar, which had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Salil Ankola, Raju Kulkarni, Vinod Kambli, Chandrakant Pandit, Salil Ankola, lost Kapil Dev-led Haryana by just two runs. The picture of Dilip Vengsarkar crying on the pitch after Mumbai lost the game is still fresh in the minds of cricket buffs. For Mumbai, it was the case of so near yet to sar.

Former India and Mumbai opener Lalchand Rajput, who was part of the 1990-1991 Ranji Trophy final, told ETV Bharat, that one of the best final matches he was part of was that game against Haryana, which Mumbai lost by a whisker.

Noted sports broadcaster Milind Wagle, who has commentated in as many as seven Ranji Trophy finals at the Wankhede, recalled that he could not forget the tension in the 1990-1991 Ranji Trophy final after Haryana piled up 522 in the first innings courtesy opener Deepak Sharma's gritty 199.

"I have been blessed to commentate on seven Ranji trophy finals at the Wankhede Stadium and two outside making it a total of 9 Ranji Trophy finals. All these have been on Doordarshan," Wagle told ETV Bharat on Thursday.

"My first memory is the 1974-1975 final which we covered on a ENG camera every day. We would telecast 45 mins highlights. It was Mumbai vs Karnataka and the two knocks I recollect - a lone battle by GR Vishwanath, who scored a 144 and Sunil Gavaskar (96) carrying his bat," he quipped.

"The other one which I recollect is 1980-1981 where Gulam Parkar scored 121 and Ashok Mankad amassed 265 and the duo stitched a partnership of 299. Mumbai beat Delhi by an innings," he added.

"But the final etched in my mind as a commentator for me is the historic Mumbai versus Haryana which Harayana won by two runs.”

"My colleague commentators were Salim Durrani and Kersan. I can never forget the tension after Haryana scored 522 in the first innings and then (Dilip) Vengsarkar scoring 139 on an injured leg and the final runout broke Mumbai hearts.”

For Sachin Tendulkar, Wankhede has also been a special ground, and it was in the 1994-1995 final at this very Stadium, that he scored centuries in both the innings and helped his side clinch another Ranji Trophy title.

Mumbai Ranji Team and the cricket lovers of the megacity have a love affair with the Wankhede, which now houses a statue of Sachin Tendulkar, a Bharat Ratna awardee.

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