Hyderabad: As the 2022 Ranji season winds up with an emphatic victory for Chandrakant Pant-coached side Madhya Pradesh that steered with a maiden title against 41-time champions and favourites to clinch another one -- Mumbai, numbers, and facts cropped up from Sarfaraz Khan to Don Bradman.
Here's a look at some interesting statistics and facts based upon the final match of Ranji Trophy.
1) SARFARAZ KHAN vs DON BRADMAN
To start with, star batter Sarfaraz Khan was in prolific form as he ended up piling 982 runs in just six matches at a mind-boggling average of 122.75. He bagged four centuries and two half-centuries this season that caught the eye of legendary Sunil Gavaskar who said he would be surprised if Khan still fails to be in contention for the India's Test team.
"Sarfaraz Khan’s tremendous run of hundreds should bring him into contention for a place in the national team where with Rahane gone and Pujara getting one last chance to score and keep his place in the team and go on to play a century of Test matches the door could open for Sarfaraz. He certainly has banged the selection committee’s door down and it would be a real surprise if his name doesn’t figure in the squad for the next Test series," Gavaskar wrote in his column for a media outlet.
Such has been Khan's impact this season that he has been compared with the greats of the game, even Don Bradman, if his Ranji's numbers are anything to go by.
At the end of 37 First Class innings, the great Bradman had scored 2377 runs at an average of 79.23 while Khan had more runs to show with 2530 runs at an astonishing average of 81.61.
| Player | Matches | N/O | Runs | Avg | 100/50s | HS | (Span) |
| Don Bradman | 20 | 7 | 2377 | 79.23 | 10/7 | 340* | Dec 1927-Nov 1929 |
| Sarfaraz Khan | 25 | 6 | 2530 | 81.61 | 8/7 | 301* | Dec 2014-Jun 2022 |
However, in the very next year, Bradman's batting operated on a superman level with the maverick batter accumulating breathtaking 3692 runs at an average of 90.04 by the end 29 matches (50 innings). He had 14 hundreds and 10 fifties, boasting a highest score of 452*. The innings came in 1930 for New South Wales (NSW) against Queensland at the historic SCG ground.
2) Who has the most number of runs in a Ranji season?
VVS Laxman. Laxman boasted form that would envy even the best of cricketers having scored 1415 runs during the 1999/00 season.
3) Madhya Pradesh's record in BCCI tournaments
The MP side has not won any BCCI tournament and this win would serve as a major boost to state's cricket as the side is now eligible to compete in the Irani Cup vs Rest of India. For the record, MP has not won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy yet.
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4) Which team has won the most number of titles in Ranji Trophy so far?
Mumbai. With 41 titles, the Mumbai side leads the table and has a massive gulf from the second ranked team that is Karnataka winning 8 titles so far.
5) List of captains leading Mumbai in a losing cause
| Season | Opposition | Losing Captain |
| 1947/48 | Holkar | KC Ibrahim |
| 1979/80 | Delhi | Sunil Gavaskar |
| 1982/83 | Karnataka | Ashok Mankad |
| 1990/91 | Haryana | Sanjay Manjrekar |
| 2016/17 | Gujarat | Aditya Tare |
| 2021/22 | Madhya Pradesh | Prithvi Shaw |
6) Was this the first finals for Madhya Pradesh?
No, MP last appeared in the final match against Karnataka in 1999 but lost against them.
(Trivia: The team has played both its finals in M Chinnaswamy Stadium.)
