The moment Indian veteran batsman Wasim Jaffer left his ‘home team’ — Mumbai after 19 long seasons, it was a complete stunner for domestic cricket in India. After experiencing eight Ranji victories under one of the best sides, Jaffer’s move to join Vidarbha was assumed as a downfall in his career. However, he turned out to be the lucky charm for Vidarbha as they entered the finals for the first time in the history of Ranji Trophy and tasted their first-ever triumph.
Vidarbha beat the 7-time Ranji champion Delhi by 9 wickets to win their maiden title. With this victory, Jaffer maintains a 100 percent record of winning all the ten finals he has featured in. He made his debut in the year 1996/97 after which Mumbai went on to win 8 titles with Jaffer as one of the players in the Playing XI.
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Here’s the list of Mumbai’s next 8 title victories:
1999/00 against Hyderabad,
2002/03 and 2003/04 against Tamil Nadu,
2006/07 against Bengal,
2008/09 against Uttar Pradesh,
2009/10 against Karnataka,
2012/13 and 2015/16 against Saurashtra.
The recent victory of Vidarbha against Delhi was the ninth time that he was a part of the winning side. Despite being one of the oldest cricketers in the domestic circuit, the 39-year-old batsman has created a number of invincible records till date.
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Highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy:
| Sl No. | Runs | Batsman | Teams | Career Span |
| 1 | Wasim Jaffer | 10,665 | Vidarbha, Bombay/Mumbai | 1996/97 – Present |
| 2 | Amol Mazumdar | 9202 | Bombay/Mumbai, Assam, Andhra Pradesh | 1993/94 – 2013/14 |
| 3 | Devendra Bundela | 9168 | Madhya Pradesh | 1995/96 – Present |
| 4 | Mithun Manhas | 8554 | Delhi, J & K | 1997/98 – 2016/17 |
| 5 | Hrishikesh Kanitkar | 8059 | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan | 1994/95 – 2013/14 |
Most career centuries:
| Sl No. | Centuries | Batsman | Teams | Career Span |
| 1 | 36 | Wasim Jaffer | Bombay/Mumbai, Vidarbha | 1996/97 – Present |
| 2 | 31 | Ajay Sharma | Delhi, Himachal Pradesh | 1984/85 – 2000/01 |
| 3 | 28 | Hrishikesh Kanitkar | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan | 1994/95 – 2013/14 |
| 4 | 28 | Amol Mazumdar | Bombay/Mumbai, Assam, Andhra Pradesh | 1993/94 – 2013/14 |
| 5 | 27 | Amarjeet Kaypee | Punjab, Haryana | 1980/81 – 1999/00 |
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Fifth batsman to score most runs in a season:
| Sl No | Runs | Batsman | Team | Season |
| 1 | 1415 | VVS Laxman | Hyderabad | 1999/00 |
| 2 | 1321 | Shreyas Iyer | Mumbai | 2015/16 |
| 3 | 1310 | Priyank Panchal | Gujarat | 2016/17 |
| 4 | 1280 | Vijay Bharadwaj | Karnataka | 1998/99 |
| 5 | 1260 | Wasim Jaffer | Mumbai | 2008/09 |
Being the only player to score more than 10,000 runs in Ranji Trophies, Wasim Jaffer is expected to continue his domestic career for much longer. In the final against Delhi, he stepped in to bat at number 3 after Vidarbha lost its first wicket at 96. He went on score 78 runs off 150 balls and 11 four. He also raised a 73-run stand for the fourth wicket with Akshay Wadkar who went on to play a magnificent inning of 133 runs off 262 balls.
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Vidarbha became the seventh team to win the Ranji Trophy in their maiden final after Mumbai (1934/35), Nawanagar (now Saurashtra/1936-37), Hyderabad (1937/38), Maharashtra (1939/40), Baroda (1942/43) and Western India (1943/44).
