The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
The Akshay Wadkar-led side are coming off a massive 221-run victory over Rajasthan in their previous contest.
The experienced trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube failed with the bat to leave Mumbai India reeling against Vidarbha on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals.
Harsh Dubey picked up five wickets as Vidarbha outclassed Mumbai by 80 runs to enter the Ranji Trophy final, in Nagpur, on Friday.
The bonus point win helped Gujarat (26) climb to the second spot, two points behind Vidarbha who led a strong second innings fightback in an away match against Rajasthan.
Vidarbha took a commanding 297-run lead against Tamil Nadu on Day 4 of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final on Monday.
Earlier, Akash Anand completed his second first-class century and shared a 69-run stand with Tanush Kotian (33) to lead Mumbai's recovery after they ended the second day at 188 for seven.
Former winners Vidarbha will rely on their red-hot form to stake claim for a title they last won over five years ago, while first-time finalists Kerala will be driven by grit when the two contrasting teams clash in the summit showdown for the 90th Ranji Trophy, starting in Nagpur on Wednesday.
Karun Nair created a new world record for the most runs in List A cricket without being dismissed while guiding Vidarbha to an eight-wicket victory over Uttar Pradesh.
Vidarbha, led by Akshay Wadkar, captured their third Ranji Trophy title, defeating Kerala in the final.
The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) has announced a cash reward of Rs 3 crore for its Ranji Trophy winning side, apart from separate cash incentives for the support staff and some of its players. The VCA also felicitated Akshay Wakhare on his retirement. Vidarbha forced a draw against Kerala in the summit clash and clinched the title on the basis of their first innings lead of 37 runs at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha.
Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are set for a high-stakes clash as they battle for the final quarter-final spot from Elite Group B.
Skipper Iyer hit 137 not out as Mumbai crushed Puducherry by a massive 163 runs in their Group C game in Ahmedabad.
Karun Nair slammed his fourth century of the Ranji Trophy season to help Vidarbha tighten their grip over Kerala, in the final, in Nagpur on Saturday.
Vidarbha thrashed Maharashtra by 69 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final to enter the final, wher
Mumbai were steady at 113 for two at one stage but Rekhade, playing only his second First-Class match, ripped open the Ranji champions' batting line-up, first with an innocuous delivery which claimed the prized scalp of Ajinkya Rahane in the 41st over.
Danish Malewar's gritty 79 and opener Dhruv Shorey's attractive 74 helped Vidarbha reach 308 for 5 against defending champions Mumbai on the first day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final.
Aditya Sarwate's unbeaten 66 anchored Kerala's strong reply as the visitors reached 131/3 at stumps on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final, after restricting hosts Vidarbha to 379.
Vidarbha won their third Ranji Trophy title after the final against Kerala finished in a draw in Nagpur on Sunday.
'...whether he is a top player or not, it doesn't matter.' 'If I go by a player's name I won't be able to bowl at my best.' 'For me he is just a batter, and my only focus is where I need to land the ball.'
Karnataka won their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy title, defeating Vidarbha by 36 runs in a high-scoring final. Smaran Ravichandran's stylish century (101 off 92) and Abhinav Manohar's blistering 79 off 42 propelled Karnataka to a commanding total of 348 for 6. Dhruv Shorey's third consecutive century (110) went in vain for Vidarbha, who were all out for 312 in 48.2 overs despite Harsh Dubey's explosive 63 off 30 balls.
Karun Nair has smashed 664 runs with five centuries in eight matches at an astonishing average of 664 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between India and Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai on Thursday.
Maharashtra secured a resounding 439-run victory over Baroda in a Group A Ranji Trophy match, keeping defending champions Mumbai's hopes alive for the knockout stage.
Mayank Agarawal's unbeaten 139 took Karnataka over the line against Punjab by one wicket,
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Monday
Vidarbha took command of their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Madhya Pradesh with the key wicket of Yash Dubey (94) late on Day 4.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final played between Mumbai and Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian claimed two wickets each to put Mumbai on course for victory against Tamil Nadu.
In Agartala, the Group A match between Mumbai and Tripura ended in a draw with the reigning champions earning three points by virtue of the first-innings lead.
Vidarbha defeat Madhya Pradesh by 62 runs, to meet Mumbai in final
A battle-hardened Vidarbha won't make it easy for 41-times Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final, starting on Sunday.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday.
Punjab, starting the penultimate day on 73/3 and needing 144 more runs, crumbled under pressure from Sindhu's relentless spin and Jayant Yadav's precise off-spin (3/35 in 10.4 overs), collapsing well before lunch and handing Haryana their second outright win in four matches.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
A defiant Vidarbha prolonged Mumbai's wait for a 42nd Ranji Trophy title as they took the final to the fifth and final day.
Suresh Lokeshwar (52) and Pradosh Ranjan Paul (65) struck half-centuries to help Tamil Nadu complete the formalities and win their Ranji Trophy Group C match against Goa by seven wickets, in Porvorim on Monday.
Mumbai were ahead by 257 runs in the first innings after Musheer Khan struck an unbeaten 203, with Baroda reaching 127/2 in reply by the close of play on day two
Vidarbha opener Atharva Taide struck his third first-class century and his second of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season
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