Madhya Pradesh defeated Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final to win their maiden title at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on Sunday. Their six-wicket win came on the back of some exceptional performances by Shubham Sharma and Rajat Patidar over the five days. 

Also read: Who is Chandrakant Pandit, coach behind MP’s maiden Ranji title?

Batting first, Mumbai, led by Sarfaraz Khan’s ton, posted 374. MP responded with a mammoth 536, which included centuries by Sharma and Patidar. Prithvi Shaw and company then made 269, setting a 108-run target for Aditya Shrivastava and co, which they chased in 29.5 overs. 

Here’s a look at MP’s journey in Ranji Trophy 2022:

Defeated Gujarat by 106 runs:

Shubham Sharma scored 92 runs in MP’s 278-run total in the Elite Group A match in Rajkot to set the foundation of the win. Gujarat made 331 runs but Sharma again fired to help MP set a target of 195. Left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya then claimed a fifer and packed their opponents for 88. 

Also Read: Watch: Kohli defends Kamlesh Nagarkoti, confronts arguing fan in Leicester

Defeated Meghalaya by an innings and 301 runs:

Playing at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium, MP bowled out Meghalaya for 61 in the first innings. Gaurav Yadav’s 5/11 figures stood out. Then Shrivastava and co posted 499 runs with the help of a ton by Shubham Sharma and Akshat Raghuwanshi. Meghalaya could only manage 137 runs in the second innings. 

Match drawn vs Kerala:

MP and Kerala both wanted to avoid a defeat to ensure a quarters spot. A 277-run partnership between Yash Dubey and Rajat Patidar put Madhya Pradesh in a commanding position. The team batted for over 200 overs, with Dubey facing 591 balls and scoring 289.

Quarterfinal: Defeated Punjab by 10 wickets

MP managed to tame the likes of  Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Anmolpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh and Punjab made only 219 runs. In response, thet put up 397 runs with the help of  Himanshu Mantri’s 89, Rajat Patidar’s 85 and yet another Shubham Sharma century.

Kartikeya picked six wickets in the second innings. MP chased down the 26-run target in the second innings with ease.  

Also read: A gully cricket move: Pujara bats for India and Leicestershire on same day

Semi-finals: Defeated Bengal by 174 runs

MP needed all their guns to fire against a heavyweight Bengal. batting first, Himanshu Mantri led the team’s efforts with 165 runs. They posted 341 runs. The Madhya Pradesh spinners then wrecked the Bengal lineup but centuries by Shahbaz Ahmed and veteran Manoj Tiwary meant they only had a 68-run lead. 

MP then made 281, putting up a 350-run target. Bengal were dismissed for 175. 

Top scorers:

Rajat Patidar 658 runs at 82.25

Yash Dubey 614 runs, average 76.75

Shubham Sharma 608 runs, average 46.20

Top wicket-takers:

Kumar Kartikeya 32 wickets 

Gaurav Yadav 23 wickets 

Anubhav Agarwal 15 wickets