5 players to watch out for in Ranji Trophy 2018-19

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The 85th edition of the Ranji Trophy is around the corner as the mega event is set to begin from November 1st. This year the List-A tournament, Vijay Hazare Trophy, was held ahead of Ranji Trophy and it concluded with Mumbai lifting the title.

Ranji Trophy will endure 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.

Consequently, a lot of cricket is to be played in the tournament, so players see it as an opportunity to get in the limelight and later break into the national team. The event catches a lot of public attention as well, with almost all the top players of the country taking part in it.

The multi-day tournament also provides an opportunity for youngsters to experience the quality cricket. However, several players recently expressed grief over the quality of pitches prepared for the domestic cricket.

Though, it's expected that BCCI will make sure to give the best to players in the Ranji Trophy. Meanwhile, owing to the recent form and overall numbers in First-class cricketer, there are a few players who could make most of this tournament.

In this piece, we bring you the five players to watch out for in this year's Ranji Trophy:


#1 Gautam Gambhir

England v India: 5th Investec Test - Day Three
England v India: 5th Investec Test - Day Three

The veteran Indian batsman, Gautam Gambhir, showed some form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as the southpaw scored above 500 runs in the 10 matches.

He helped Delhi to make it to the finals of the tournament, however, couldn't help them cross the line in the finals. He contributed at top in almost all the matches and made a couple of centuries as well.

Gambhir has been out of the Indian team since 2016 and many believe he can't make a comeback now. Though, his recent numbers are narrating some different story.

Undoubtedly, he would be one of the biggest players to watch out for in the Ranji Trophy.

#2 Shahbaz Nadeem

England Lions v India A - Day Three
England Lions v India A - Day Three

The most successful bowler in the domestic arena currently, Shahbaz Nadeem, finished the Vijay Hazare Trophy as the top wicket-taker, scalping 24 wickets in nine matches under the economy of 3.86.

On the back of his consistent performances for Jharkhand, he was rewarded with a national call-up for the West Indies T20Is. How he bowls at the highest level would be quite interesting to see.

Meanwhile, Shahbaz would be one of the top bowlers playing this year's Ranji Trophy.

#3 Shubman Gill

Shubham Gill performed brilliantly for India U-19's in 2018 World Cup
Shubman Gill performed brilliantly for India U-19's in 2018 World Cup

The Punjab born right-handed batsman, Shubman Gill too had a great Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 418 runs in 7 matches at an average of 60. He followed that with an unbeaten ton for India C in the Deodhar Trophy.

Shubman was the hero for India U-19 in 2018 World Cup as well. He has been since producing a lot of swashbuckling performances since then.

He would be desiring to score plenty of runs in the Ranji Trophy in order to get a national call-up.

#4 Parvez Rasool

Parvez Rasool played a match-winning knock for J&K against Tamil Nadu
Parvez Rasool played a match-winning knock for J&K against Tamil Nadu

Jammu and Kashmir skipper, Parvez Rasool, was earlier this year awarded as Best All-rounder in Ranji Trophy for his consistently good performances in the tournament.

He has won this award twice and could continue his run in the upcoming Ranji Trophy as well. He bowls off-spin while bats in the middle-order for J&K.

He had a good outing in the Duleep Trophy as well, which was held in August this year.

#5 Shreyas Iyer

South Africa v India - 5th Momentum ODI
South Africa v India - 5th Momentum ODI

After a successful Vijay Hazare Trophy, Shreyas Iyer scored a fabulous ton for India B in the finals of Deodhar Trophy. However, that was not enough for his side as they lost the match.

He has been continuously contributing for Mumbai in all the formats and could be one of their match-winners in the Ranji Trophy as well.

Iyer has so far played six ODIs and T20Is each for India.

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Edited by Rajdeep Puri