Ahmedabad: Kerala scripted history by advancing to the Ranji Trophy final for the first time after securing a dramatic first-innings lead against Gujarat in the semifinals. Despite missing their star batter Sanju Samson due to injury, Kerala’s resilient squad pulled off an inspiring performance in Ahmedabad. The match ended in a draw, but Kerala’s crucial two-run first-innings lead was enough to seal their spot in the final. They will now face Vidarbha, who defeated Mumbai by 80 runs, in the title clash starting on February 26 in Nagpur.

On the final day, Gujarat resumed their innings at 429/7, needing just 28 runs to take the lead. However, Kerala’s bowlers turned the game around, dismissing the last three Gujarat batters for just 26 runs, restricting them to 455. Mohammed Azharuddeen’s brilliant stumping of Jaymeet Patel and Aditya Sarwate’s crucial wickets sealed Kerala’s first-innings advantage. Kerala then batted steadily in the second innings, reaching 114/4 before the teams agreed to a draw, confirming Kerala’s historic final entry.

Kerala’s previous best Ranji Trophy performance was a semifinal finish in the 2018-19 season. Their journey to the final has been built on narrow yet crucial leads, having edged past Jammu & Kashmir in the quarterfinals by just one run. Led by Sachin Baby, Kerala now aims to cap off their dream run with a maiden Ranji Trophy title when they take on Vidarbha in the final.