Sarfaraz Khan’s stunning catch turned the game as Mumbai beat Railways by 106 runs in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 clash to record their fourth straight win.
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Mumbai beat Railways by 106 runs in Ranji Trophy 2026-27 clash (Photo: PTI)
A relentless Mumbai pulled off a thrilling 106-run win over a fighting Railways side in the Ranji Trophy Group D match here on ThursdayIt was Mumbai’s fourth straight outright win of the seasonWith this win, the 42-time champions have now taken their points tally to 27.
For a long time on the final day, it looked like Railways would save the matchBut Mumbai’s brilliant fielding in the last one hour changed the whole game.
Railways Fight Back With Two Centuries
The day started with Mumbai adding 60 more runs to their leadThey set a big target of 372 runs for Railways.
Overnight batter Divyaansh Saxena remained not out on 100 off 136 ballsHis innings had eight fours and a six.
Railways started badly in their second inningsShams Mulani took three wickets quicklyA run-out by Sarfaraz Khan also helped MumbaiAt one stage, Railways were struggling at 83 for 5.
But then came the big fightbackOpeners Eshaan Goyal and No7 batter Zubair Ali joined hands in the middle.
Both batters scored centuriesGoyal made 103 runs, while Zubair Ali made 115 runsThey added 167 runs for the sixth wicket.
The pair kept Mumbai at bay for 156 minutesThey faced 212 balls together and almost took the game away from Mumbai.
Sarfaraz Khan’s Magic Moment Changes Everything
Just when Railways looked safe, Mumbai produced a moment of magic.
Goyal tried to sweep Musheer KhanHe got a top edgeSarfaraz Khan, who had dropped a catch earlier, showed superb anticipationHe ran from first slip to leg slip and took a stunning diving catch to break the 167-run stand.
Sarfaraz celebrated with a big throw of his armHis celebration was so wild that even the physio had to come out onto the field.
Soon after, India all-rounder Suryansh Shedge ran several yards to his left from mid-off to dismiss Ali off MusheerOnce Ali was gone, Mumbai were all over Railways.
Tanush Kotian then took a one-handed blinder at short midwicket for the eighth wicketAfter that, Railways folded quickly for 265.
All of this happened in a frenetic final hour of play after the drinks break.
Captain Lad Remembers Old Irani Cup Heartbreak
Mumbai captain Siddesh Lad admitted that the thoughts of a draw were on the back of their mind.
“That (a draw) was always on the back of mind, because we had won the first innings and we have bad memories of CCI; we had lost the Irani Trophy on the last day of the match,” Lad told reporters.
Mumbai had lost to Rest of India by four wickets on the final day in the Irani Cup match in 2016-17 at the Brabourne Stadium.
Lad said his team does not want to sit on laurels after collecting maximum points.
“Last two seasons (also), we did really well in the league stageBut we don’t want to be satisfied with what we have done in the first four gamesWe have a long journey ahead and we want to do something special — add something to the legacy of Mumbai this season,” he said.
