Ranji Trophy final | What went behind Mumbai’s 42nd title: Songs, dance, 15-day camp in Alur, 46 review meetings and flashback videos | Cricket News

Mumbai’s 42nd title was not made in a day. It was the result of meticulous planning, strategizing and hard work over the last ten months. From 46 review meetings and a pre-season residential camp in Alur near Bangalore to dance and songs competitions and storytelling exercises before the final against Vidarbha, the journey was mixed with fun, sweat and brainstorming, with heroes sprouting in every step.The seasoned Ajinkya Rahane was the face of their campaign. But there were others too. Like coach Omkar Salvi. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) wanted to hire his brother Avishkar, the former fast bowler, as coach, but in the end it turned out to be his brother, a former Railways player and the assant bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders. He had never played a first-class game—featured in a solitary L A game for Railways—but the decision seems inspired in hindsight.
Salvi likens the script to a Bollywood movie full of tws and turns and heroes leaping from everywhere to guide them to victory. Throughout the campaign, they had several heroes, from the farewelling stalwart Dhawal Kulkarni and batting mainstay Bhupen Lalwani to player of the series Tanush Kotian and highest wicket-taker Mohit Avasthi. Not to forget Musheer Khan and Shardul Thakur, centurions in final and semifinals, both coming with the game in balance.

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Congratulations and a round of applause for the 4⃣2⃣-time #RanjiTrophy winners – Mumbai 👏 👏#Final | #MUMvVID | @MumbaiCricAssoc | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/U5AuVayGzt
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 14, 2024
At the heart of their success was planning and team bonding. “Our planning started in June (2023). We began to focus on skills and fitness in the camp. We did a 15-day residential camp in Alur. It gave us the chance to understand players and bond with them. We wanted bhai-chara wala mahaul (relaxed, brotherly atmosphere) so that players can enjoy each other’s success,” Salvi said after the game.
The team always dined together. On off-days the team management engaged the players in off-field activities like singing and dancing competitions. A core committee group was formed within the team which comprised Salvi, Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni and left-arm spinner Shams Mulani.
“Each player was identified and senior players were given roles. We had a core committee in place where Dhawal would look after the fast bowling department, Ajju (Rahane) would take care of batting—he was like a big brother to all. Shams was overseeing the spin department,” Salvi added.
Constant review
To ensure that the team is on the right track, the team management held 46 review meetings with coach, captain, selector and MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik and joint secretary Deepak Patil. In one meeting, some of the players were individually told that they were spending four hours on Instagram and they should refrain from it.
“Each player used to be called and we discussed where they went wrong and how they could improve. Such a meeting was called to look at things critically so that the team can improve. The idea was to get better than before,” MCA secretary Naik says.

are WINNERS of the #RanjiTrophy 2023-24! 🙌
Mumbai Captain Ajinkya Rahane receives the coveted Trophy 🏆 from the hands of Mr Ashish Shelar, Honorary Treasurer, BCCI. 👏 👏#Final | #MUMvVID | @ShelarAshish | @ajinkyarahane88 | @MumbaiCricAssoc | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/LPZTZW3IV4
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 14, 2024
On the day before the final game, Mumbai decided to have its last exercise. Each one had to narrate their journey this season. Salvi says instead of giving ‘bhashan’ (lecture) like the coaches in Hindi movies, they asked the players to give a flashback. A small video too was made.

Salvi stretches the Bollywood bit. “It was like a Bollywood movie. When we are down and someone came from behind and became the hero of the game. We had match winners in every game. We played a video of the journey. Later, each player was asked to speak on why winning the Ranji Trophy was important to them,” he says.
They signed off the campaign with a song too. The singer was Shardul Thakur, whose hundred in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu, turned out to be invaluable in the final outcome, hummed a song he had picked up from Chennai Super Kings.

“Everywhere we go, everywhere we go, we are the Mumbai boys making all the noise, everywhere we go,” he sang with all the energy and passion you associate with him. An England player would often sing the exact song in the CSK dressing room, and he just changed CSK to Mumbai part, he revealed. The campaign, though, was a song of ice and fire.