Well, Madhya Pradesh domestic cricket took this to heart! Creating history, the MP Underdogs clinched their maiden Ranji Trophy title by defeating the cricketing powerhouse that is Mumbai Domestic Cricket by 6 wickets. Under the mentorship of Chandrakant Pandit and the captaincy of Aditya Srivastava, the team showed dedication, class and an urge to win.

Who let the UNDERDOGS out?

Mumbai Did

The final of the Ranji Trophy 2022, between Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai, began on June 22 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. It turned out to be a one-sided affair, as Mumbai could only manage 269 runs in their final innings, leaving MP with a negligible target of 108. While chasing, there were some hiccups, but with a target of just over 100, it was a stroll in the park for MP batters.

This time, it's the hitters of MP who kept their bats warm. They smashed, they hit, they struggled, they stood up. There was no turning back for the MP side. An all-around performance by the MP cricket team led to victory. With a fearless batting order and an aggressive bowling side, the Aditya-led side took away the game from Mumbai.

The one who played a lead role is Shubham Sharma. Shubham hammered 116 runs off 215 balls, with 15 fours and one six. His century and partnership with Yash Dubey in the first innings was a knock to watch. In the second innings, he scored 30 runs while chasing 108.

For his brilliant performance in the final, Shubham was also conferred with the Player of the Match award.

Another player was a key harbinger of victor- Indore's Rajat Patidar, who smashed 122 runs with 20 boundaries in the first innings and 30 in the second innings, leading the team to victory. His targeted approach was clearly visible throughout the season, when he smashed 79 in the semis and also when he smashed a century in the group match. There's no denying his ability to hit big.

His story dates back to the summer of 1999 when MP, at the Chinnaswami stadium, Bengaluru failed to win the game despite the first-innings lead of 75. It saw Pandit, as a proud captain who finished his playing career in tears.

Since then, setting an example and demonstrating, how to be a mentor of the throwaway teams, Chandrakant Pandit has done some amazing work in mentally preparing players. He yet again proves to be the man behind the victory.

From guiding Vidarbha, a team that didn't have star players. to four trophies (successive Ranji and Irani Cup), to mentoring Rajasthan to victory, his techniques have proven to be effective.

This time, MP's side which did not have star players like Avesh Khan or Venkatesh Iyer but only an emerging potential star Rajat Patidar. All they had to do, was follow Pandit's philosophy of 'My Way or the Highway' coaching to emerge triumphant.

Ranji Trophy 2021-22 final brief statistics

Madhya Pradesh were 536 all out in 177.2 overs (Yash Dubey 133, Rajat Patidar 122, Shubham Sharma 116; Shams Mulani 5/173, Tushar Deshpande 3/116)

Mumbai scored 374 runs, and were all out in 127.4 overs and 113/2 in 22 overs (Prithvi Shaw 44, Armaan Jaffer 30 not out; Gaurav Yadav 1/23, Kumar Kartikeya Singh 1/50) trail by 49 runs.

Target for MP: 108 runs

Result: MP defeats Mumbai by 6 wickets