Ranji Trophy final: Vidarbha banks on form and home advantage against sprightly Kerala

Ranji Trophy final in Nagpur: Vidarbha seeks to reclaim Ranji Trophy title with red-hot form, while Kerala aims for first win with grit.

Former winners Vidarbha will rely on their red-hot form to stake claim for a title that they last won over five years ago, while first-time finalists Kerala will be driven by grit when the two contrasting teams clash in the summit showdown for the 90th Ranji Trophy, starting in Nagpur on Wednesday (February 26, 2025).

It has been nothing short of a stellar run for the Akshay Wadkar-led Vidarbha side this season, winning eight of their nine matches so far and drawing one which makes them the side to beat.

Vidarbha emerged from their group stage with six victories in seven matches and won each of the knockouts by heavy margins — by 198 runs against Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinal and by 80 runs against defending champions Mumbai in the semifinal.

The winners of 2017-18 and 2018-19 edition, Vidarbha are making their fourth appearance in the final after losing in the final last year to Mumbai, displaying unmatched consistency in red-ball cricket. They had also played in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season.

Yash Rathod has been at the forefront of their batting with 933 runs in nine matches at 58.13 with five tons and three fifties -- the third highest overall this season.

Not only from behind the stumps as wicketkeeper-captain, Wadkar has had a successful run with the bat, scoring 674 runs in nine matches at 48.14 with two centuries and as many fifties.

Veteran Karun Nair is not far behind with 642 runs in eight matches at 45.85, including three centuries and a fifty, while Danish Malewar (557 runs, 1x100s, 5x50s) and Dhruv Shorey (446 runs, 1x100s, 2x50s) have also pulled in their weight.