Mumbai won the prestigious Z R Iran Cup for the 15^th time following an important first-innings lead of 121 runs against the Rest of India side at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday. The Ajinkya Rahane-led Mumbai side thereby ended a 27-year wait.

The win for the 42 times Ranji champions was set up by middle order batter Sarfaraz Khan (222 n.o.)  and skipper Ajinkya Rahane (97) after the 42 time Ranji champions were reduced to 37 for 3 inside 12 overs. All round contribution by Tanush Kotian (64 & 3/101) in first innings and a timely half century  by Shreyas Iyer (57) saw Mumbai score swell to 537 before being dismissed in the first innings despite Mukesh Kumar's five-wicket haul. Rest of India's fight back was powered by Abhimanyu Easwaran (191) and Dhruv Jurel (93), before they lost their last six wickets for merely 23 runs to be bowled out for 416, which ensured Mumbai a valuable first-innings lead.

An aggressive knock by opener Prithvi Shaw (76) at the start of the second innings coupled with unbeaten century by Tanush (114 n.o.) and his 158-run partnership with Mohit Avasthi for the ninth wicket, after being reduced to 171 for 8  on Day 5 ensured Mumbai the elusive title.  for the 42-time Ranji champions.

MCA president, Ajinkya Naik, after the match said, "Once again, Mumbai demonstrated an outstanding example of grit and determination. The boys upheld the tradition of playing 'khadoos' cricket, excelling throughout the five days. It was a perfect display of teamwork, with each player fulfilling their role brilliantly. After last year's Ranji Trophy victory, this Irani Cup triumph adds another feather to our cap. Its a decisive moment that secured their first Irani Cup win since the 1997-98 season"

Jay Shah,  BCCI Secretary too congratulated the Mumbai cricket team and said, "Congratulations to Mumbai for clinching their first Irani Cup title in 27 years, an incredible 15th overall! A special acknowledgement to Ajinka Rahane for his leadership in securing this victory, and to Sarfaraz Khan for a stellar 222-run knock that shaped the innings lead. A well-deserved triumph for the team.”

Brief Scores:

Mumbai - 537/10 in 141 overs  (Sarfaraz Khan 222*, Ajinkya Rahane 97, Tanush Kotian 64, Shreyas Iyer 57, Shardul Thakur 36; Mukesh Kumar 5/110, Yash Dayal 2/89, Prasidh Krishna 2/105, Saransh Jain 1/82) &  329/8 (decl.) in 78 overs (Tanush Kotian 114*, Prithvi Shaw 76, Mohit Avasthi 51*; Saransh Jain 6/121, Manav Suthar 2/78) beat Rest of India 416/10 in 110 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 191, Dhruv Jurel 93, Ishan Kishan 38,  Sai Sudarshan 32;  Tanush Kotian 3/101, Shams Mulani 3/122, Mohit Avasthi 2/97, Junaid Khan 1/70) by first-innings lead of 121 runs.

Photo Champions:  An elated Mumbai teame under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane won the  Irani Cup after taking a 121-run lead against Rest of India