Ranji Trophy 206/17: Top 6 players of the tournament

Twice Nadeem picked up 10 wickets in a match and is largely responsible for Jharkhand’s powerful showing (Image Courtesy: Cricinfo)

 

Over the last few years, the Ranji Trophy, India’s domestic competition, is slowly changing the perception people have towards it. Thanks to the influx of money in the BCCI, arguably, the world’s richest cricket board, teams have better facilities, better grounds and better incentives.

The star players also know that they are just two steps away from international cricket. The increase in the number of India A tours means the star performers at the Ranji Trophy have a lot to look forward to even after the season. Rahul Dravid has already shown his value as coach and guide, mentoring the next crop of players and that could be incredible for these players too.

Some good performances at the India A level could mean you may be in the squad, like Karun Nair found out. No performance is wasted and every match matters for players now, who can hope for a lot more encouragement, especially with consistent broadcasting and more exposure and coverage.

Here, we take a look at this year’s top Ranji performers.

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#1 Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand)

Nadeem has been knocking on the doors of the Indian team for a really long time. The ultra-consistent, left-arm orthodox spinner topped the wicket charts with 56 wickets in 19 innings at 25.60 with four five-wicket hauls.

Twice he picked up 10 wickets in a match and is largely responsible for Jharkhand’s powerful showing reaching the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy. Nadeem also reached the 300-wicket milestone at first class level and has already impressed a lot of players, appearing for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.