Dhawal Kulkarni had a dream send-off from Ranji Trophy cricket as he took the last wicket of the Ranji Trophy 2024 final against Vidarbha to seal Mumbai’s 42nd title.
On Thursday. at the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai became the Ranji Trophy champions for the 42nd time by defeating Vidarbha by 169 runs. After two low-scoring first innings for both teams, the pitch flattened out, but eventually, Ajinkya Rahane’s side prevailed on the last day of the match.
This was the last red-ball outing for the 35-year-old Dhawal Kulkarni. He finishes with 281 first-class wickets in 95 FC matches from 2008 to 2024. He featured in 12 ODIs and 2 T20Is for India, picking 22 wickets in all, between 2014 and 2016, but couldn’t cement his place in the national side.
Nonetheless, Dhawal Kulkarni remained a key figure in the success of Mumbai in domestic cricket over the past 16 years. He got a great send-off from captain Ajinkya Rahane, who gave him the ball to take the last wicket, and Kulkarni fulfilled a dream conclusion for himself by castling Umesh Yadav.
Rohit Sharma Posts Emotional Insta Story For Retiring Dhawal Kulkarni
India captain Rohit Sharma posted an emotional Insta story for Kulkarni on the conclusion of his red-ball career. Rohit and Dhawal Kulkarni played together a lot for Mumbai in domestic cricket and for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Rohit Sharma posted an Insta story with the caption: “Mumbai cha Yodha. Well done on a fantastic career”
In the post-match presentation, Kulkarni said, “It’s a cricketer’s dream to start and finish on a high. This is my 6th final, 5th time we’ve won and this will be dear for me. It was an excellent gesture, I didn’t expect (that Rahane would give him the ball to finish the game), but hats off for Tushar who gave the ball to me despite taking two wickets in an over. I’ve got experience as I’ve played with big stars, they’ve shared plenty of experience with me and I have passed the same to the younger lot.”
