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Kerala, the first-time finalists, fought hard but Vidarbha were rewarded for their incredible hard work, discipline and perseverance

Vidarbha's first innings lead surges to 286 runs on day 4 of the Ranji Trophy final against Kerala

Kerala started the day strongly. Domestic stalwart Jalaj Saxena led the act with his clever spin bowling. Manan Hingrajia (33) was the first to fall in the morning session, adding just three runs to his overnight total before Jalaj trapped him leg-before

Yash Rathod's 151 (252 balls, 11 fours) and a dogged half-century from skipper Akshay Wadkar (52 off 202 balls, 5x4) took Vidarbha to 292 all out after resuming the day at 147 for four

Resuming their first innings at 418/7, Kerala added 39 more runs before being bowled out for 457 just 10 overs into the morning session. Mohammed Azharuddeen remained stranded on a magnificent 177 off 341 balls, his career-best knock featuring 20 fours and a solitary six

After Vidarbha dismissed Mumbai for 270 to take a first-innings lead of 113 runs, the hosts found themselves in trouble after being reduced to 56 for four, thanks to Shams Mulani's (2/50) two-wicket burst

Kerala, who have not gone past the semifinals in the premier domestic red ball event, had resumed the day at 206 for four

Mumbai were steady at 113 for two at one stage but Rekhade, ripped open the Ranji champions' batting line-up, first with an innocuous delivery which claimed the prized scalp of Ajinkya Rahane in the 41st over

The 36-year-old southpaw occupied the crease for two full sessions, crafting an unbeaten 69 off 193 balls (8x4) that kept their maiden final hopes alive

The two-time champions didn't have a big partnership, but they had enough middling stands to see them cross 300-run mark after Mumbai had sent down 88 overs in the day

Gujarat, the champions of the 2016-17 edition, advanced to the semifinals for the first time since the 2019-20 season after thrashing Saurashtra by an innings and 98 runs in the quarterfinals in Rajkot

Jaiswal might travel to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further assessment of his unspecified injury soon, as he has been named as a "non-travelling reserve" in India's Champions Trophy squad

Player of the match Salman Nizar (44 not out, 162 balls, 8x4) and Mohammed Azharuddeen (67 not out, 118b, 9x4 2x6) saw off nearly 43 overs during their unbroken 115-run alliance for the seventh wicket as Kerala made 295 for six in their second innings.

Rahane, resuming on 88, wasted no time in the morning to notch 108 (180 balls; 13x4) -- his 41st first-class century, that guided Mumbai to 339 in the second innings for an overall lead of 353 runs

The Saurashtra batting malfunctioned again in the match as they were bundled out for 197 in their second innings, far away from the mark of 295 required to make Gujarat bat again

Their dominant batting display, following Shardul Thakur's five-wicket burst in the morning, propelled Mumbai to 278 for four in 67 overs at stumps, a commanding lead of 292 runs

Ankit, who has now hit back-to-back hundreds in this edition of the tournament, struck a crisp 136 with complete domination of the Mumbai attack to bring Haryana within 53 runs of first-innings lead.

Having opted to bat, Mumbai batting unit comprising former Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (31), T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav (9), batting all-rounder Shivam Dube (28) were down in the dumps at 113 for 7

Hyderabad, who were out of the race for a quarterfinal berth long back, were fancying their chances of defeating the already qualified Vidarbha and bowing out on a high

It was Delhi's second win of the season but they are out of knockouts race from Elite Group D with Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu have qualified with 25 points