The 2016-17 Ranji Trophy final will be played between defending champions Mumbai and Gujarat, who have made it into the final for the first time since the 1951-52 season. While Mumbai will be looking to win their 42nd Ranji Trophy, Gujarat will be looking to win India's domestic first-class cricket championship for the first time when the two teams face off in the final at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
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In the 83 years of the Ranji Trophy, Mumbai have reached the finals on 46 occasions and being the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy history they will be determined to add another title to their name. Mumbai topped group A without losing a single match, winning three and drawing five. Mumbai took on Tamil Nadu in the semifinals and with Mumbai needing 251 runs to win, their debutant Prithvi Shaw stole the show as he became the first player for Mumbai to score a century on his debut in the Ranji Trophy since Amol Muzumdar did so in the 1993–94 tournament.
They will need a similar performance from him and from Aditya Tara who is another batsman who has been in top form for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. Along with them the bowling pair of Shardul Thakur and Abhishek Nayar who picked up four wickets each in the semifinals will be looking to continue their fine form as Mumbai look to win yet another Ranji Trophy.
Gujarat qualified for the knockout stages by finishing second in their group, four points behind Mumbai. Gujarat have shown signs of improvement over the last few years winning the Vijay Hazare last season and Syed Mushtaq Ali in 2012-13 and now they will be eager to win the Ranji Trophy for the first time too. If Gujarat can put in a similar performance as they did in their matches leading up to the final, they have a good opportunity from stopping Mumbai to win another title.
The Gujarat team, lead by Parthiv Patel have already suffered a major blow to their bowling line up after Jasprit Bumrah was called up to the Indian side to face England. Bumrah, alongside veteran pacer R P Singh, was the stand out bowler in the semifinal against Jharkhand and now Gujarat will turn to Mehul Patel in the final.
Gujarat will be relying on Priyank Panchal and Samit Gohel with the bat, as the duo's performance in the final will be a crucial factor in the final. Also, Priyank Panchal will be more pumped up than ever as he needs 146 runs more to go past VVS Laxman's record of most runs in a season in Ranji Trophy.
This Ranji Trophy final match is perfectly set up considering both teams played out to a draw in their group stage encounter. However, Gujarat will have a psychological edge leading up to the finals as they took the all important first innings lead by bowling out Mumbai for 422 in response to their first innings total of 437.
Where to watch
The Ranji Trophy final match between Gujarat and Mumbai is set to start tomorrow at 9:30am.
TV and live streaming information
India: TV: Star Sports4/HD 4. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
Live score update: BCCI
