At the end of Day Four on Thursday, Mumbai was reduced to 83 for three in their second innings by a determined Vidarbha. The defending champions now need to score an additional 323 to win the semifinal match on the fifth and final day. Mumbai is aiming for an unlikely triumph with a lofty 406 points. After starting the day at 147 for four, Vidarbha reached 292 all out thanks to Yash Rathod's 151 (252 balls, 11 fours) and captain Akshay Wadkar's tenacious half-century (52 off 202 balls, 5×4). Vidarbha was able to set a lofty goal of 406, having already accumulated a massive advantage of 113 runs in the first essay. However, Mumbai's response lacked confidence.
Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane (12), Ayush Mhatre (18), and Siddhesh Lad (2) were all dismissed by spin bowling as Vidarbha put the pressure on the visitors at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, preparing to exact revenge for their defeat in the Ranji Trophy final the previous season. Mumbai's only bright spot in the first innings was Akash Anand, who once again put up a strong showing with 27 not out off 92 balls and one four.
Shivam Dube was batting on 12 at the other end. Mumbai is counting on players like Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav to provide a backup on the last day. However, considering how spinners removed three wickets in the last session, the task would not be simple. When the No. 3 hitter came dancing down the wicket, left-arm spinner Harsh Dube had Lad stumped for just two runs and had cleaned up Mhatre.
The 25-year-old Parth Rekhade, who was playing in just his second First-Class match, once again got rid of Rahane by trapping him leg-before for his team's third wicket. Anand and Dube took the initiative to lead Mumbai to victory with no further casualties. However, Vidarbha and two of its best players, Rathod and Dube, had the day. Rathod reached 933 runs in nine games at 58.31 with his fifth century of the Ranji Trophy season, which also included three half-centuries.
With two more dismissals added to his tally on Thursday, the left-arm Dube’s tally this season swelled to 63 wickets in nine matches with six five-wicket hauls. Earlier at the resumption, Rathod and Wadkar batted with determination as Mumbai did not find much success in the first session. The left-handed Rathod brought up his ton from 168 balls while putting on a stoic 158-run stand with Wadkar for the fifth wicket. The pair were separated when Mulani cleaned up Wadkar for 52 in the 82nd over, and the Mumbai spinner added three more wickets to his column to return 44-9-85-6. Kotian took 3/81 while Thakur claimed one wicket.