Rahane celebrates Mumbai's 'excellent team culture' for Ranji success.

The Mumbai captain gave credit to his coach Omkar Salvi for developing a vision that prioritized player fitness and independence.

 After an eight-year wait, Mumbai earned their 42nd Ranji Trophy championship in front of a delighted home crowd at the Wankhede. Up against a tenacious Vidarbha team that refused to lose up, Mumbai was eventually able to defend 538 and win the final. Captain Ajinkya Rahane attributed the victory to the vision instilled in the team by head coach Omkar Salvi.

"I believe our journey began in June, all because of Omkar's vision. "We all had a vision as a team, but it came from Omkar," Rahane stated during the post-match press conference. "We focused on player health, building a strong team culture, and providing all of the players freedom, not just on the pitch but also off it.

"You know, when someone isn't doing well, you have to support them. It is a team sport. Some players will perform admirably for the team, while others will struggle. But it's all about supporting all the players at the proper time," Rahane explained. "So I give huge credit to Omkar. He's worked hard for this moment. Today I am very proud of him and delighted for him. His hard work has certainly paid off."

Rahane believes that the title win, combined with the fact that several Mumbai players are representing India, bodes well for the team.

"This win means a lot. Waiting seven to eight years for the 42nd title. We played excellent cricket last year, but were unable to qualify for the playoffs due to a single run. But the 42nd title means a lot. And, as you indicated, having ten guys representing Indian cricket is tremendous."

Additionally, he emphasized how crucial it is for players to show up for domestic cricket.

"I'd want to add one thing: the BCCI's emphasis on domestic cricket, which is a really excellent thing, and encouraging players to play local cricket. Which is extremely crucial," Rahane stated.

"From here on, for Mumbai cricket, it is important to keep growing, to keep thinking about how can we get better in all formats," he went on to say. "We won the championship after eight years, and we hope to repeat it in the next years. Our attention will be on that."

But it wasn't all straight sailing for Mumbai on the fifth day of the final, as Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar and debutant Harsh Dubey had a wicketless morning session, stoking speculation of a historic upset. It wasn’t to be, but Rahane was the first to praise Vidarbha's tenacity.

"The way they played cricket, and how they fought in this game. When you lose a 120-run lead in the first inning and are chasing 538, it's easy to give up. But the sport teaches you that if you keep going and believe in yourself, anything is possible," Rahane added.

"Chasing 538, the character they demonstrated in the second innings, was an excellent learning opportunity for all of us. The guts and determination with which they batted was excellent.

"Over the previous 7-8 years, they have done exceptionally well. They had a few championships and won the Irani Trophy once or twice. They are playing excellent cricket."

Wadkar: 'Never believed we were out of the game'

At stumps on the fourth day, Karun Nair stated that Vidarbha, 290 runs behind with five wickets in hand, faced a "tough task" but that they are a squad that will not give up.

Wadkar and Dubey demonstrated this in their tenacious partnership, which helped Vidarbha reach lunch on the last day 85 runs closer to their objective while causing no further damage to the wickets column. Wadkar got his second century in the Ranji Trophy finals, and Dubey reached his second first-class fifty.

"When we had our huddle, when we spoke in our team meeting, when we were speaking in our partnership, we didn't think even 1% that we are out of the match," Wadkar said in a statement.

"We were just thinking that if all of the hitters worked together, we could win the match. Because it was the final and penultimate inning, there was no room for giving up or thinking negatively. You had to go for the win, therefore we simply believed that we would win.

Wadkar stated that the Mumbai team had many discussions about their tactics since the fourth day, when he put on a 90-run stand with Nair and began his 130-run partnership with Dubey, but Rahane or his team never appeared flustered, implying that he knew Vidarbha still had a long way to go in the match.

"[Mumbai] has discussions since yesterday. I batted with Karun and Harsh. So they had discussions about field and bowling modifications', Wadkar explained. "I was merely monitoring their captain, Rahane, and what were his expressions? Is he talking angrily to the bowlers? Because then we'd know we were in the game.

"But from his demeanour, it appeared like he was cool and serene. He didn't let on that he was frustrated or that we were coming close to the game.

"So we also felt that we were fairly deep into the game and had a long way to go. We had a long way to go, of course, but the opponents' attitude gives you a sense of what they are thinking. But from his demeanour, it didn't appear like [they were becoming frustrated]."

MCA boosts the prize money for Mumbai.

While Mumbai was already receiving INR 5 crore from the BCCI for winning the Ranji Trophy, the Mumbai Cricket Association opted to quadruple the prize money by awarding an additional INR 5 crore.

"MCA President Amol Kale and the Apex Council have decided to quadruple the Ranji Trophy prize money. The MCA will give an additional Rs 5 crore to the winning Mumbai Ranji Trophy team, according to a release.

Mumbai coach Salvi applauded the board's decision, saying it will provide the players more security.

"I believe that there are very few institutions that provide jobs [to players]. I believe that the BCCI taking that step and donating that money, as well as the MCA stepping up to equal that amount, is a huge benefit to players who do not have employment or other means of income," Salvi added.

"It also provides inspiration. Definitely, I believe [inspiration] should be intrinsic, but financial assistance will provide them with security and stability, allowing them to offer more to the game."