Vidarbha won their third Ranji Trophy on March 2, defeating first-time finalists Kerala on first-innings lead. Here are our breakout stars from the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, all of whom were 25 years or younger on the day of the final.
Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha)
M: 10 | 476 runs at 28.00, HS: 76, 5 fifties | 69 wickets at 16.98, BBI: 6-36, 7 five-fors
With 69 wickets, left-arm spinner Dubey set a new season record in the ninety-year history of the Ranji Trophy, and has almost certainly grabbed the eye of the selectors. He is yet to play in the Duleep Trophy or Irani Cup or for India A, but these slots should open up soon. He can bat as well: with Ravindra Jadeja on his last legs in Test cricket, Dubey will be all set to keep Axar Patel – nine years older and likely to focus on the shorter formats, where he is indispensable – on his toes.
Yash Rathod (Vidarbha)
M: 10 | 960 runs at 53.33, HS: 151, 5 hundreds, 3 fifties
From the record-breaking wicket-taker to the leading run-scorer of 2024-25. It took him three seasons to find his mojo, but Rathod – a former India U19 player – finally found his groove in the Indian domestic circuit. He got runs throughout the season, but the 151 in the semi-final (Vidarbha made 292, none of his teammates got 30) deserves special mention.
Ayush Pandey (Chhattisgarh)
M: 7 | 744 runs at 67.63, HS: 211, 2 hundreds, 3 fifties
Pandey could have had a third hundred, but he fell for 99 in the first innings against Chandigarh. He first drew attention with the 89 against a strong Delhi attack. This was followed by 124 where Chhattisgarh made Tamil Nadu follow-on, and a double hundred against Assam. All in all, an impressive show for someone whose team finished seventh out of eight teams in the group stage.
Danish Malewar (Vidarbha)
M: 9 | 783 runs at 52.20, HS: 153, 2 hundreds, 6 fifties | 16 catches
Vidarbha’s ability to get the most out of their youngsters was foremost among the reasons why they won the Ranji Trophy, winning all but two games outright. Playing in his first Ranji season, 21-year-old Malewar came to his elements in the final, scoring 153 to lift Vidarbha from 24-3 and adding 73 in the second innings for good measure. Oh, and he had hit a seventy in the quarter-final and another in the final. Oh, he has safe hands too.
Mahesh Pithiya (Baroda)
M: 7 | 166 runs at 19.55, HS: 40 | 38 wickets at 20.57, BBI: 6-25, 3 five-fors
Remember Pithiya, the “R Ashwin impersonator” Australia had got as a net bowler when they toured India in 2022-23? It can be very difficult to emerge from these tags, but Pithiya was in fine form this season, taking wickets and often chipping in with valuable runs. His finest show came in the famous win against Mumbai, where he took four wickets and made a decisive 40 from No.9.
Nishunk Birla (Chandigarh)
M: 7 | 105 runs at 17.50, HS: 26 | 36 wickets at 20.94, BBI: 6-65, 2 five-fors
The Birla story is also the story of Chandigarh, one of the “expansion teams” that debuted in 2019-20. A teenager when he started playing in the Ranji Trophy earlier this season, Birla destroyed Railways with six wickets on first-class debut, but really shot into limelight with the 12-wicket haul against Delhi. His rise is one of the great success stories of the BCCI’s decision to expand domestic cricket beyond conventional geography.
C Andre Siddarth (Tamil Nadu)
M: 8 | 612 runs at 68.00, HS: 106, 1 hundred, 5 fifties
The youngest name on this list, Andre Siddarth is the nephew of domestic stalwart S Sharath. If his first season is anything to go by, he has done justice to his family name. That one big hundred is yet to come, but he was the epitome of consistency, scoring at least 35 in each of the first eight innings of his first-class career. It evened out a bit towards the end, but it has been a great season overall. The Chennai Super Kings, who have signed him up for IPL 2025, would like that.
Anshul Kamboj (Haryana)
M: 6 | 34 wickets at 13.79, BBI: 10-49, 1 five-for
Kamboj’s 10-49, the third-best figures in Ranji Trophy history, was not a flash in the pan: it came a couple of months after his 8-69, the fifth-best figures in Duleep Trophy history. Even without that spell, he averaged 21 in that season – and that included 4-35 to help rout Bengal for 85, and seven wickets (and a cameo) to earn a first-innings lead against Karnataka. He got five wickets in the quarter-final as well, but Mumbai turned out to be too strong.
