Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Pondicherry folds quickly as Mumbai wraps up another bonus-point win
Tushar Deshpande cleaned up Pondicherry’s tail as Mumbai needed less than an hour on Wednesday to clinch its second outright win, complete with a bonus point, in a Ranji Trophy Group D fixture. Resuming at 231 for six, Pondicherry managed only 45 more runs before Deshpande and Shardul Thakur wrapped things up, sealing an innings-and-222-run victory.
As the city woke to a nip in the air, Deshpande made full use of the early conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, removing Sidhaant Aadhhatrao in his opening over. Sidhaant, who had scored his maiden First-Class fifty the previous day, added only three to his overnight tally before Sarfaraz Khan held on at second slip.
Deshpande struck again in his next over. Pondicherry captain Sagar Udeshi, looking to score quickly on familiar Mumbai turf, lasted only a run before Sarfaraz sprinted back from the ring to catch him near third man. Shardul then deepened the slide by cleaning up Sabhay Chadha. With the senior batters gone, the experienced Jayant Yadav fought a lone battle. He struck five boundaries and resisted for a while before falling to Ayush Mhatre, with Sarfaraz taking his third catch of the morning, this time at first slip.
After Aman Khan and Sidhaant had led a brief recovery on the third day, there was an expectation that the lower order might offer some fight. Instead, Deshpande’s stump-to-stump discipline ensured Pondicherry folded within 8.3 overs.
Mumbai, coming off a bonus-point win over Himachal Pradesh, wanted to close the first leg of the tournament strongly. Another controlled performance with the ball has pushed the domestic heavyweight to the top of the points table.
Published on Nov 19, 2025
