Here are five bowlers who might shine in the 85th edition of Ranji Trophy.
The 85th edition of the premier Indian domestic competition, the Ranji Trophy went underway from November 1. The defending champions Vidarbha will be looking to keep their title intact, while other former champions like Mumbai and Delhi, along with Karnataka will be eyeing adding to their haul of titles.
The 85th 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.
A lot of bowlers came to fore during the last season of Ranji Trophy and we saw some young, some experienced and some coming of age bowlers doing wonderfully well for their teams. Picking wickets on a consistent basis is the key for knocking on the door for Indian team selection and doing something our of ordinary may get you instant success and hence Team COC presents to you five bowlers in the Ranji Trophy who might hog the limelight in this season.
Check out the 5 Bowlers to keep an eye out for in the tournament
SHIVAM MAVI
One of the most wonderful finds of the U19 World Cup this year were the Indian pace bowlers who helped India win the tournament in January 2018. And Uttar Pradesh’s Shivam Mavi impressed one and all with his ability to bowl over 145 kmph on a consistent basis.
He is yet to play a First-Class match, but made his T20 debut for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2018 and List A debut for India A against South Africa A. He then made headlines for taking a hat-trick for UP against Saurashtra in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Mavi is 19 years of age and still has a lot to learn, but his skill set and fitness have put him in a different class than his peers and with experience, he will be a potent force for the Indian team. For now, all eyes will be on Shivam Mavi’s performance in the Ranji Trophy 2018/19, as he will be making his debut for Uttar Pradesh.
RAJNEESH GURBANI
Rajneesh Gurbani was the force de majeure with the ball behind Vidarbha’s Ranji title win in 2017/18 season. The 25-year-old fast bowler had made his List A debut for Vidarbha in 2015. His best match during the 2017/18 Ranji Trophy was the semi-final against heavyweights Karnataka. He took 12 wickets against them including a career best 7/68.
He did one better in the finals against Delhi, picking a hat-trick, becoming the Man of the Match in Vidarbha’s first ever Ranji title win. Since then, he has been a regular feature in the side for Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy matches and is knocking on the door of the Indian team.
Gurbani bowls around 130-135 kph, but finds constant subtle movement off the pitch, making him extremely dangerous. He will definitely be in the spotlight of the people and experts who will be expecting him to build upon his previous season’s gains and become a truly viable option for the Indian team.
MOHAMMED SIRAJ
Hyderabad’s Mohammed Siraj has already made his mark for the Indian team in T20Is after making his FC debut in 2015. He was the leading wicket-taker for Hyderabad in 2016/17 Ranji Trophy with 41 wickets. This led him to be picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2017 and then by Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2018.
So far, he has played three T20I matches for India, picking three wickets. So far, however, his performance for India A has been exemplary with 11 wickets against Australia A including career best 8/59. Siraj has been known for his penchant for bowling fuller lengths including impressive yorkers which came in handy in IPL 2018.
NAVDEEP SAINI
Delhi’s Navdeep Saini was the new name added to the Indian squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in place of Mohammad Shami. He has played 36 FC matches, picking 106 wickets with a best of 6/32. He came into limelight for picking 34 wickets in 2017/18 Ranji Trophy for Delhi.
Saini is skiddy customer known for exploiting the channel of uncertainty outside off-stump. He has played IPL for Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore team and is waiting for that one chance to truly break through the glass ceiling and everyone will be watching for him to perform and challenge the frontline fast bowlers of team India for a place in the team.
SHAHBAZ NADEEM
Shahbaz Nadeem has been plying his trade in the Indian domestic circuit since 2004 and in 99 FC matches, has picked 375 wickets with a best of 7/45. In 98 List A matches, he has 143 matches including a recent world record haul of 8/10.
Nadeem has been the highest wicket-taker in Ranji trophy for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons with 51 and 56 dismissals respectively. Nadeem has been a constant fixture in the IPL, playing for the Delhi Daredevils team. Everyone had thought that he was the most deserving bowler to get into the Indian side, but the presence of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja in Tests and Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in limited overs for India has kept him out.
However, his current form couldn’t keep the selectors from ignoring him long enough and he was chosen for the Indian T20I squad for the three-match against West Indies. Now everyone will be keeping an eye on Nadeem’s Ranji Trophy 2018/19 performances for the upcoming Indian cricket season.