Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Best XI of the season

International cricket often bags all the limelight. Very rarely do the domestic tournaments get in the picture. The Ranji Trophy 2016-17 came to an end recently. The tournament season this year was one of the most spectacular ones in the recent history. The underdogs made big names and many players came to the fore on the occasion. At the end, it was Gujarat and defending champions Mumbai who made it to the finals of the tournament. Gujarat, under the able leadership of Parthiv Patel, lifted the Ranji Trophy 2016-17. Records tumbled in the Indian domestic season this year. Triple centuries were scored this season and double centuries came at will. A record stand between Swapnil Gugale and Ankeet Bawne of Maharashtra caught the eyes of all. Delhi’s Rishabh Pant rose to prominence with his consistent batting. He scored the fastest ton in Ranji Trophy history. His heroics earned him a national cap. A clinical Jharkhand side created history by reaching the semi-finals of the season. They saw all players chip in with crucial contributions in the domestic season. Gujarat made it to the finals of the elite trophy after almost 5 decades. The performers have been many. Here we pick the Ranji Trophy Best XI of 2016-17 season, a list full of emerging stars of Indian cricket: Priyank Panchal (Gujarat) Priyank Panchal. (Photo Source: Twitter) Gujarat’s batsman Priyank Panchal is just 26 but is still a domestic veteran. He made the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season his own with consistent batting. Panchal emerged as the leading run-getter of the season at the conclusion of the league stage. The story did not change at the end of the season either. He amassed 1037 runs in just 7 matches at a staggering average of 115.22 in the league stage with 4 tons and 3 fifties. He was the key to Gujarat’s claim in the playoffs berth. By the end of the season, he had amassed 1310 runs in 10 matches at 87.33 with 5 tons to his name and 4 fifties. He started off with a gritty 101 against Railways this season. As the tournament progressed, his scores got bigger and better. He backed up his 232 against Mumbai with an unbeaten 56 in the same match. A match later, he found himself scoring a majestic unbeaten 314 against Punjab. His fourth ton of the season came against Tamil Nadu in the last league game. He then belted his last ton of the season against Odisha in the semis. Also read- Ranji Trophy 2016-17 – Statistical Highlights Rishabh Pant (Delhi) Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: The Indian Express). If there was a star of the season, then it has to be Rishabh Pant. The swashbuckling Delhi batsman was on a rampage. He rose up the ranks with impressive performances in the U19 level. He struck the fastest fifty at the age group earlier this year. That helped him seal a spot in the Delhi Ranji squad. What followed that was sheer entertainment. In the 8 matches that he played this season for Delhi, he scored 972 runs at an average of 81. He hit 4 centuries and 2 fifties for Delhi that included a triple century. He scored a brisk triple ton against Maharashtra. He followed it up by scoring the fastest century in Ranji Trophy history. He hit 49 sixes in the tournament – the most by any batsman. The second in that list is Himachal Pradesh’s P Chopra with 19 sixes to his name. The difference between the numbers speaks volumes about Pant’s dominion. Ishank Jaggi (Jharkhand) Ishank Jaggi. (Photo Source: Twitter) Team Jharkhand made giant strides in the Ranji Trophy this season. One man was key to their stunning rise in the domestic premier. Middle-order batsman Ishank Jaggi was in sublime form throughout the season. The 65 First Class matches veteran was the leading run-getter for his side en route to the quarter-finals. At the conclusion of the league stage, Ishank had scored 675 runs in 8 matches at an average of 61.36 with 3 centuries and 2 fifties. His top score of 173 came against Saurashtra. He scored another gritty 129 in losing cause in the semifinals against Gujarat. By the end of the season, he had 890 runs credited to his name in 10 matches at an average of 59.33 with 4 tons and 3 fifties. Also check out- Fake Fb Wall: Gujarat celebrate their Ranji Trophy triumph Deepak Hooda (Baroda) Deepak Hooda. (Photo Source: Twitter) Deepak Hooda emerged as the big-hitting batsman in the Indian domestic circuit. He cashed in in the opportunities that he got in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad. This year, he showed he can be a domestic giant in the longer format too. Playing for Baroda in Ranji Trophy, he accounted for 789 runs in 8 matches. He averaged 71.72 and played with an uncharacteristic strike rate of under 70. The striking feature was his desire to play long innings. Hooda hit 3 centuries this season that included a top score of unbeaten 293. He had 3 fifties to go with his three tons. Parthiv Patel (Gujarat) Parthiv Patel scored a hundred to lead his team to the title. (Photo Source: Twitter) It is only safe to allot a position to Parthiv Patel in the Ranji Trophy Best XI line up. The man of the finals and the Gujarat skipper led from the front in the finals to help Gujarat win the Ranji Trophy in a historic game. Chasing a target in excess of 300 set by defending champions Mumbai, Parthiv Patel hit a brilliant 143 to steer his side over the line for the title win. He had to miss out on a couple of Ranji fixtures due to national commitments. However, he was prolific with the bat throughout. Parthiv aggregated 763 runs in 8 matches across 14 innings. He averaged close to 59 in the season with two centuries and 5 fifties to his name. Yuvraj Singh (Punjab) Yuvraj Singh. (Photo Source: Times of India) Veteran Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh returned to his sublime best in the Ranji Trophy this season. Albeit he played very few matches, he made an impression for himself. Yuvraj finished with the best average in the Ranji Trophy this year for any batsman who played at least 5 matches. In the 5 matches that he turned up for Punjab, Yuvraj hammered 672 run at an average of 84. He had two centuries and two fifties credited to his name in the season. His best came against Baroda when he scored 260. On a tricky Lahli wicket in Rohtak, he hammered 177 against Madhya Pradesh. His scintillating form with the bat saw him earn a recall in the national side. Parvez Rasool (Jammu and Kashmir) Parvez Rasool. (Photo Source: Twitter) Jammu and Kashmir skipper Parvez Rasool almost singlehandedly rallied along for his side in the Ranji Trophy this year. Rasool bagged 38 wickets in 9 matches with two five wickets this season. He had the best economy rate among the top 6 bowlers this season at the conclusion of the league stage. He was the lone ranger for J & K with the bat too. He hit 7 fifties this season. This included his twin fifties in the last league game against Chhattisgarh. He missed out on a well-deserved century in the last innings as he was dismissed on 92. A century would have perfectly capped off his sensational 2016 in the domestic circuit. Also read- Gujarat v Mumbai Ranji Trophy final – Statistical Highlights Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand) Shahbaz Nadeem walks off the field after picking 7 wickets against Jharkhand. (Photo Source: Indian Express) One of the senior most players of the Jharkhand team, Shahbaz Nadeem, rose to prominence yet again as Jharkhand made it to the semis for the first time in the history of the tournament. Nadeem finished as the leading wicket-taker of the season with 56 wickets to his name in 10 matches across 19 innings. He bowled the most number of maidens this season – a tally of 101 overs. He averaged close to 26 with the ball and had an economy of just 2.90. He had two 10-wicket hauls to go with five 5-wicket hauls. His best effort of 7/74 came in the quarter-finals of the tournament against Haryana. Anupam Sanklecha (Maharashtra) Anupam Sanklecha. (Photo Source: Twitter) Maharashtra had a disappointing season this year in Ranji Trophy. However, their 34-year old pacer made a startling impact on the season. Anupam Sanklecha emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the league stage this year. He bagged 43 wickets in 8 matches with a staggering 5 five wicket hauls and two 10 wicket hauls. He had the best economy among the top pacers with 2.68. He averaged an impressive 16.18 – the best among the top 10 bowlers in the season till the league stages. His strike rate of 36.1 was also the most impressive. His best figures of 8/73 came against Assam. However, the most impressive performance came against Vidarbha where he bagged 7/25 and 7/69 in the two innings. Ashok Dinda (Bengal) Ashok Dinda. (© Getty Images) Veteran pacer Ashok Dinda has been an out-of-favor India candidate. However, he has continued to impress in the domestic arena this year as well. In the Ranji Trophy this season, he was influential for his team Bengal. In the 7 matches that he played this season, he scalped 39 wickets – the fourth in the list of leading wicket-takers this season. He had five 5-wicket hauls to his name with the best of 6/45. He averaged an impressive 19.53 with the ball. He surely was one of the key performers in domestic circuit this year. Mohammad Siraj (Hyderabad) Mohammad Siraj. (Photo Source: telanganatoday. news) Hyderabad’s Mohammad Siraj was instrumental for his team as Hyderabad made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament. The pacer played 9 matches to end up 41 wickets to his name. He finished third in the list of leading wicket-takers in Ranji Trophy 2016-17. Albeit Siraj has only one 5 wicket haul to show under his name, he often contributed with crucial 3-fers and 4-fers. He averaged a lowly 18.92 with the ball – the second best among all bowlers in top 5 leading wicket takers of the tournament. He bowled with an economy of 2.86 and had the best figures of 5/52 in the season.

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Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Best XI of the season

Mohammad Siraj (Hyderabad)

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