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The Vidarbha Cricket Association has declared cash rewards of INR 3 Crore for the Ranji Trophy-winning squad and support staff. Notably, the win over Kerala on Sunday, March 2 marked the team's third Ranji Trophy triumph, having previously secured the title in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. In the current season, Vidarbha clinched the championship by drawing against Kerala in the final clash and securing a 37-run first-innings lead at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha. Alongside the cash rewards, the VCA honoured spinner Akshay Wakhare on his retirement, recognizing his remarkable career tally of 344 wickets in 105 first-class matches.
During the press meeting, VCA President Justice Vinay M. Deshpande (Retd), former Judge of the Bombay High Court, expressed his happiness about the team's win. "The team has displayed remarkable consistency, winning nine out of ten matches. As a token of appreciation, we are rewarding Rs 3 crore to the Squad." Meanwhile, Wakhare was presented with a silver salver by VCA President Justice Vinay M Deshpande, Secretary Sanjay Badkas, Treasurer CA Arjun Phatak, Joint Secretary Gautam Kale, and a host of other VCA officials.
How much was each Vidarbha player awarded after Ranji Trophy title win?
Several Vidarbha players received individual cash prizes for their performances in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Harsh Dubey, a 22-year-old left-arm spinner with 69 Ranji Trophy dismissals, was awarded INR 25 Lakh. Karun Nair, who amassed 863 runs in nine matches at an average of 53.93, including four centuries and two half-centuries, and Yash Rathod, who scored 960 runs in ten games at an average of 53.33, with five centuries and three half-centuries, were each rewarded with INR 10 Lakh.
The VCA, in its press release also mentioned cash prize reward of INR 15 Lakh to head coach Usman Ghani; INR 5 Lakh each to assistant coach (Atul Ranade), physiotherapist (Dr Nitin Khurana), S&C coach (Yuvraj Singh Dasondhi) and video analyst (Amit Manikrao); INR 2 Lakh each to manager (Jitendra Darbha), side-arm specialist (Yash Thorat) and masseur ((Rajsingh Chandel).
