Mumbai finishes top in West Zone Ranji league

Hosts Maharashtra held off Mumbai to take first innings honours in their final West Zone Ranji Trophy clash which ended at the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium in Kolhapur on New Year's Day. Mumbai had the satisfaction of finishing top of the group with 21 points. They thus claimed the Talim Trophy for supremacy in the zone. Maharashtra which was beaten into second place with 20 points are qualifying for the next stage of the competition after a year's break.

Mumbai began the final day at 371/6, needing another 75 to overhaul Maharashtra's first innings tally of 445. They suffered a blow in the day's third over, skipper Samir Dighe falling to legspinner Mandar Sane for 98 (200 balls, 15 fours). His replacement, Ramesh Powar blasted 22 in just 13 balls, inclusive of five boundaries, before succumbing at 404. The other overnight batsman Paras Mhambrey, in the company of Nilesh Kulkarni, moved the score to 429 when both fell in successive overs within four runs of each other. Mumbai thus finished twelve runs short, Iqbal Siddiqui being the most successful bowler for the hosts, claiming 4/124.

With 72 overs still scheduled for the day, spinners Nilesh Kulkarni (4/54) and Sairaj Bahutule (3/40) combined to dismiss Maharashtra for 213 in their second knock. Maharashtra were down to 138/8 in the 42nd over at one stage, leaving them in danger of an unlikely defeat but a tailend rally led by wicketkeeper SM Kondhalkar, who topscored with an unbeaten 30, got them out of harm's way.