Ranji Trophy 2018/19: 5 Batsmen to look out for in the tournament

The 85th edition of Ranji Trophy will go on from November 1, 2018, till February of 2019.

The new season of 2018/19 Ranji Trophy will begin from November 1, 2018, and will run till February of 2019. The last Ranji Trophy saw Vidarbha winning the trophy by beating Delhi in the finals and becoming the champions for the first time.  

There were lots of performers who took the cricket scene by storm with their performances with the bat. Since the Ranji Trophy games are covered by all major news outlets, making runs and big runs in the tournament may bring some player to the spotlight and for some consistent performers, it will be a chance to continue their good work and knock on the door of national selection.

The 85^th edition of Ranji Trophy will be a busier one, going on for more than three months as an increase of nine teams has been made this season. The 37 participants have been distributed in four groups and each team is likely to play 8 or 9 group-stage matches.

Here are five such batsmen who will look to make name for themselves in the 2018/19 Ranji season.

Check out the 5 Batsmen to look out for the tournament

ANKEET BAWANE

Ankeet Bawane is already part of cricket history, thanks to his massive 594*-run partnership- the second-highest partnership in first-class cricket and the highest partnership in the history of the Ranji Trophy- with Swapnil Gugale for Maharashtra, which came in 2016-17 Ranji Trophy. The right-handed batsman is known for his brilliant and tight technique and his ability to negotiate fast bowlers.

He has played 60 FC matches with 3976 runs at 52.31 average and a best of 172. He has been part of India A team in the 2018-19 Deodhar Trophy. Bawane has been knocking on the doors of the Indian team and another terrific year with the bat in the 2018/19 Ranji Trophy, might bring in some good luck and a call-up to the Indian team for him.

DHRUV SHOREY

Delhi’s Dhruv Shorey has been in the news ever since his century in the Ranji Trophy finals in the last season against Vidarbha. The 26-year-old right-hander has made quite an impact in the domestic season and was bought by Chennai Super Kings, giving him valuable experience of rubbing shoulders with giants of international cricket.

Shorey was also the highest run-getter in the Duleep Trophy 2018/19 with 293 runs in three matches, where he played for India blue team. A definite player to keep an eye on in the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2018/19, as Delhi will be looking to do better this time and win the trophy.

ISHAN KISHAN

A former India U19 captain, Ishan Kishan was noticed for his batting and leadership skills when he took the India U19 team to the finals of the youth World Cup in 2016 in Bangladesh. Since then, Ishan has gone on from strength to strength.

His major moment in Ranji Trophy came when he scored 273, the highest score by any Jharkhand player in Ranji Trophy, against Delhi in 2016/17 season. He was the top scorer for Jharkhand in the 2018/19 Ranji trophy season with 405 runs and played for India C squad for 2018/19 Duleep Trophy.

He has had experience of IPL, playing for Gujarat Lions and Mumbai Indians and so far, he has been wonderful in his performance in FC cricket and the 20-year-old keeper-batsman will be on the much-wanted list of everyone who will be watching the 2018/19 Ranji season.

SHUBMAN GILL
Shubman Gill became the talk of the nation thanks to his performances for the India U19 team in England and then in the subsequent U19 World Cup 2018 in New Zealand. Gill scored 418 runs in the tournament at an average of 104.50 and was named the player of the tournament.

Gill made his FC debut for Punjab in 2017/18 Ranji season and scored his maiden century against Services. His game and shot making skills have been compared to that of Virat Kohli, Joe Root, and Alastair Cook. He has also tasted IPL success with Kolkata Knight Riders and recently scored an unbeaten century to help send India C into the finals of the 2018/19 Deodhar trophy.

One of the brightest talents in Indian cricket right now, Gill has been poised for an India debut sooner than later. He will definitely be the one to watch out for in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season of 2018/19.

MAYANK AGARWAL
Mayank Agarwal has been brilliant in the Indian domestic cricket for the past 1-2 years. He scored his first triple hundred (304*) against Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy 2017/18 and during the same season, scored 1,000 runs in FC cricket. So prolific was his run-scoring that he ended up with 1,160 runs in Ranji Trophy last season.

An aggressive opener at the start, Mayank has experience of top-notch cricket thanks to IPL where he has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab. He was also awarded the Madhavrao Scindia Award for The Highest Run-Scorer in Ranji Trophy by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). His prolific run-scoring finally got him the much-deserved call-up to the Indian Test team for the series against the West Indies, but couldn’t make his debut.

Now all eyes will be on Agarwal’s performance in the new upcoming season of FC cricket, especially in the Ranji Trophy, whether he will be able to repeat his run-fest of 2017/18 season and kick the door open for his India debut.