Favourites Mumbai entered their first Vijay Hazare Trophy final in more than a decade after defeating Hyderabad by 60 runs via Jayadevan (VJD) method in the first semi-final at Bengaluru on Wednesday.
After restricting Hyderabad to 246/8, Prithvi Shaw (61 off 44 balls) continued his rampaging form, scoring at will. The teenager and captain Shreyas Iyer (55 off 53) punished the Hyderabad bowlers.
When the match was stopped due to rain, Mumbai were well ahead of the VJD par score. After 25 overs, the required par score was 95/2, but the two-time champions were 155/2, a lead by 60 runs.
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Earlier, batting first, Hyderabad lost two wickets for 26 runs inside the first eighth over, then a brilliant century from Rohit Rayudu (121 off 132) breathed life into the innings.
But against a batting line-up which has the likes of Shaw, Rohit Sharma, Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane, a total under 250 will always look like a small target.
Rohit departed early, falling to left-arm spinner Mehdi Hassan, after scoring 17 runs. But Shaw and Iyer ensured that Mumbai score at a brisk pace.
Hassan picked up both the wickets, Other Hyderabad bowlers failed to make an impression. In the run-up to the match, pundits expected a Shaw-Mohammed Siraj tussle, but the bowler looked clueless. He ended up giving away Mohammed Siraj 33 runs from a spell of three overs.
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Last time Mumbai won the domestic ODI tournament was in the 2006-07 season.
In the second semi-final, Jharkhand, the only unbeaten side this season apart from Mumbai, will take on Delhi on Thursday at the same venue.
The final will be played on October 20, on the eve of the first ODI match between India and the West Indies at Guwahati.
