Narayan Jagadeesan – Tamil Nadu

816 runs @ 74.18, 1 fifty, 2 hundreds, HS: 321

Jagadeesan finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer of the season, with two hundreds, including a double ton against Railways and a triple against Chandigarh. However, he would be disappointed with being unable to put up a score in the high-profile semi-final against Mumbai that Tamil Nadu lost.

Suyash Prabhudessai – Goa

687 runs @ 57.25, 2 fifties, 3 hundreds, HS: 197

Prabhudessai had a productive season with the bat and was the second-highest run-scorer among openers. His two centuries came against strong opponents – Tamil Nadu and Karnataka – and he also took a wicket with his medium pace bowling.

Cheteshwar Pujara – Saurashtra

829 runs @ 69.08, 2 fifties, 3 hundreds, HS: 243*

Having been discarded from the Indian Test side, Pujara had a point to prove and he did a good job of it. He ended up as the third-highest run-getter and the highest for his side. He scored three hundreds, including a double century against Jharkhand, the 17th of his first-class career.

Sachin Baby – Kerala

830 runs @ 83, 4 fifties, 4 hundreds, HS: 131

Now 35, the left-handed middle-order batter finished as the second-highest run-scorer this season, continuing his good run in the last few first-class seasons. His average of 83 was the second-highest for anyone to have scored 500 runs in the season, after Devdutt Padikkal’s 92.66 (556 runs).

Ricky Bhui – Andhra

902 runs @ 75.16, 3 fifties, 4 hundreds, HS: 175

In a controversy-stricken Andhra side, Bhui led from the front after being handed captaincy midway through the season. He was the only batter to cross the 900-run mark this year in the Ranji Trophy. His four hundreds came against Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala.

Akshay Wadkar – Vidarbha (c & wk)

637 runs @ 39.81, 7 fifties, 1 hundred, HS: 102

Wadkar led Vidarbha to their third Ranji Trophy final and saved his best with the bat for the last. Having scored seven fifties across without reaching three figures, Wadkar scored a hundred during the chase of 538 in the final against Mumbai, threatening to take the game away at one point. His leadership through the campaign also makes him the captain of this team.

Tanush Kotian – Mumbai

502 runs @ 41.83, 5 fifties, 1 hundred, HS: 120*
29 wickets @ 16.96, 1 five-for, BBI: 5-58

The 25-year-old off-spinner was the star of the season for Mumbai with both bat and ball. He bailed Mumbai out of trouble with the bat often, batting as far down as No.10 at times. In fact, his hundred in the quarter-final came while batting at No.10 against Baroda. To go with that, he had five fifties, averaged less than 17 with the ball, and was rightly named the Player of the Tournament.

Sai Kishore – Tamil Nadu

221 runs @ 24.55, 2 fifties, HS: 60
53 wickets @ 18.52, 3 five-fors, BBI: 6-99

The Tamil Nadu captain was the highest wicket-taker of the season with 53 wickets, 12 more than anyone else. Among the host of left-arm spinners that featured in the tournament, he was easily the most impressive. He was also handy with the bat.

Vijaykumar Vyshak – Karnataka

39 wickets @ 23.61, 1 five-for, BBI: 5-67

The second-highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers this season with his 39 wickets, Vyshak was consistent with his impact and took at least four wickets in a game six out of eight times this season.

Gaurav Yadav – Pondicherry

41 wickets @ 14.58, 5 five-fors, BBI: 7-49

The 32-year-old Yadav was the highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers. While his form tailed off towards the end, there was a stretch of games in between where he took 29 wickets across six innings, including two five-fors, a six-for, and a seven-for.

Mohit Avasthi – Mumbai

35 wickets @ 15.74, 3 five-fors, BBI: 7-52

Avasthi was impressive with the ball throughout the season. When on song, he was nearly impossible to play. His two five-wicket hauls were both seven-fors.

Team of the Tournament

Narayan Jagadeesan
Suyash Prabhudessai
Cheteshwar Pujara
Sachin Baby
Ricky Bhui
Akshay Wadkar (c & wk)
Tanush Kotian
Sai Kishore
Vijaykumar Vyshak
Gaurav Yadav
Mohit Avasthi