Mumbai beat Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs in the Ranji Trophy at Bilaspur. Sarfaraz Khan’s 154 and Akash Anand’s 117 powered a 528 for 8 declared, and Mohit Avasthi’s 5 for 44 sealed a second bonus-point win in as many games.
Bilaspur, India: Mumbai won the toss, chose to field at the Luhnu Cricket Ground and never let the match drift. Himachal Pradesh spent four days trying to escape a first-innings hole, and by the final day the best they could do was delay the inevitable.
Himachal fold for 140
The hosts were bowled out in 39.5 overs for 140, with Tushar Deshpande taking 4 for 46. It was the kind of first innings that decides a four-day game before the other side has even padded up, and it left Mumbai free to bat as long as they liked.
Sarfaraz and Anand build the mountain
Sarfaraz Khan did the heavy lifting. He added 68 for the fourth wicket with Siddhesh Lad, who made 87, and then put on 210 for the fifth with Akash Anand, a stand that had already reached 176 by the close of the second day. Sarfaraz closed the second day unbeaten on 139 off 213 balls, and Mumbai resumed the third morning on 398 for 4. He finished on 154 off 228 balls, with 19 fours. Anand made 117 off 239 balls with 14 fours. Mumbai declared on 528 for 8 in 151 overs, a lead of 388.
Avasthi seals it
Following on, Himachal Pradesh were 144 for 3 at the end of the third day, still 244 behind. Vaibhav Kalta made 63 and captain Pukhraj Mann 50 on the final day, but neither could turn resistance into a real stand. Mohit Avasthi took 5 for 44, Deshpande and Shams Mulani took two wickets each, and D’Souza claimed the other as Himachal were bowled out for 291 in 99.1 overs.
Two wins from two for Mumbai
The innings win brings Mumbai seven points, a second successive bonus-point victory after their innings-and-155-run win over Chandigarh, and leaves them with 14 points from two matches in Elite Group D. Himachal Pradesh take nothing from the game. Elsewhere in the round, Tamil Nadu also won by an innings against Uttarakhand, and Kerala beat Odisha by an innings and 36 runs.
Result: Mumbai 528/8 declared (Sarfaraz Khan 154, Akash Anand 117, Siddhesh Lad 87) beat Himachal Pradesh 140 (Tushar Deshpande 4/46) and 291 (Vaibhav Kalta 63, Pukhraj Mann 50; Mohit Avasthi 5/44) by an innings and 97 runs. Ranji Trophy Elite Group D, Luhnu Cricket Ground, Bilaspur, 18-21 October 2026.
