Under the leadership of Krunal Pandya a.k.a our Hunarbaaz Pandya, Baroda ended their 26-year-long wait for a Ranji Trophy victory over Mumbai in style on Monday. 

Krunal and his boys faced a daunting challenge in their opening match of the 2024-25 Ranji season, going up against the defending champions, who have big names like Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Siddhesh Lad in their ranks.

However, Krunal's sharp captaincy and his squad’s fearless approach helped Baroda start their Ranji Trophy campaign on a promising note. 

Like many of the Baroda faithful and the LSG Brigade, Hunarbaaz Pandya couldn't hide his excitement after his side pulled off a thrilling 84-run win.

"26 years long wait to get a win over Mumbai and we did it! So, so proud of this team. All the great effort, all the hard work, has paid off, onwards and upwards," Krunal posted on social media.

Winning the toss, Krunal chose to bat on a tricky surface. Baroda wobbled at 90/5 but a game-changing 130-run stand between Mitesh Patel and Atit Sheth swung the momentum back and helped Baroda post a competitive 290.

Krunal’s captaincy was spot on as he shuffled his bowlers tactically, keeping the pressure on Mumbai throughout. The result? Mumbai were bowled out for 214.

Leading by example, Krunal chipped in with a crucial 55 in Baroda’s second innings, top-scoring in their total of 185. Once again, the bowlers delivered, with Bhargav Bhatt’s brilliant 6/55 sealing the victory as Mumbai folded for 177.

With momentum on their side, Baroda now turn their attention to their next match against Services.

Krunal also led our boys in six matches last year and has been pivotal to the team’s cause since our IPL debut in 2022.