Maharashtra take title with close win

Despite a flurry of late wickets, Maharashtra Cricket Association snuck home by two wickets against Kerala Cricket Association in Chennai, taking the 2011 Buchi Babu title.

Choosing to bat in the two-day match, Kerala scored 319, driven by steady half-centuries from their openers, Abhishek Hedge and VA Jagadeesh. The pair put on 165, before Domnic Joseph claimed Maharashtra's first breakthrough, Hedge caught on 74. Jagadeesh carried his side past the 200-run mark, before falling to the left-arm spin of Ajinkya Joshi two short of his century. The rest of the line-up failed to build on the solid start, none of them going past 46 as Kerala were bowled out in the 89th over. Left-armer Samad Fallah and legspinner Chirag Khurana were the pick of the Maharashtra bowlers, taking six wickets between them.

Maharashtra's top order were solid in reply, each of the top six getting into double figures. Their openers, Harshad Khadiwale and Khurana, put on a century stand, which was followed by four other steady stands. However, left-arm spinner Sreejith struck every time a partnership threatened to take the game away from Kerala, finishing with a five-for. With six wickets in hand and only 20 to get, Maharashtra looked set to ease to a win. But then, four wickets fell for seven runs, setting up a nail-biting finish.