Madhya Pradesh defeats Mumbai by 6 wickets to win Ranji Trophy after 69 years.
By defeating superpower Mumbai by six wickets on Sunday, Madhya Pradesh, which last won the Ranji Trophy 69 years ago when it was still known as Holkar State, has made a comeback. When cricket depended on the generosity of the outdated princely nations, Holkar ruled the domestic scene around the time of Indian independence.
The central plateau, which loves cricket, has waited a long time for the 2021–22 championship, which counts as the first for the state of MP and the area since contemporary federalism solidified in India.
It was the final-afternoon disappointment of the 1998–1999 final at the same Chinnaswamy stadium, 23 years earlier, when Madhya Pradesh lost in the final. This time, they easily defeated Mumbai, the 41-time winners, by six wickets. Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Chandrakant Pandit, who coached the squad, was carried high on his players’ shoulders following a victory.
After Mumbai in 2015–16 and Vidarbha in 2017–18 and 2018–19, Pandit has now won his fourth Ranji trophy in five final appearances in six seasons.
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MP has a long and illustrious history, and in the 11 seasons between 1944–1945 and 1954–1955, the former Holkar squad reached the Ranji final 10 times and won it four times, notably against Bombay in 1947–48.
Before the states’ reorganization resulted in the establishment of Madhya Pradesh in 1956, the Holkar period was one of the most powerful for any side in Indian domestic cricket, boasting greats like CK Nayudu, CS Nayudu, Syed Mushtaq Ali, and Chandu Sarwate.
The 1998–99 final was the only one MP has to look back on with nostalgia for a cricketing culture that has since produced players like Narendra Hirwani, Rajesh Chauhan, Amay Khurasiya, Jai Prakash Yadav, Naman Ojha, and Devendra Bundela and celebrates the great tradition of the Holkar decade. With one hand on the trophy, MP, led by Pandit, had defeated Karnataka with a 75-run first-inning advantage.
