Ranji Trophy 2022: Best XI of the season

The 2021/22 edition of the Ranji trophy ended with Madhya Pradesh (MP) securing a historical victory by six wickets against Mumbai in the final clash. The league stage of the tournament was played in February-March, while the knock-outs took place in the month of June. MP reached the final by beating Bengal by 174 runs in the semis, while Mumbai won the semi-final game against Uttar Pradesh (UP) on the basis of the first innings lead.

This season witnessed young and experienced players finding their fame by helping their respective teams to do well in the tournament. Apart from MP and Mumbai, players of many other teams had a great influence on the outcome of the fixture as well. Particularly, the kn0ckouts of the tournament saw a major chunk of Indian Premier League (IPL) players being the top performers.

Best XI of Ranji Trophy 2021/22

Openers- Yash Dubey and Yashasvi Jaiswal

The opening combination will be a left-right one for finding a better balance to provide a good start to the team. Yash Dubey featured for MP, and Yashasvi Jaiswal was the opener of the Mumbai team. Both players left a huge impact on the team with their contributions.

A lesser-known name in the domestic cricket, Dubey amassed 614 runs at an average of 76.75, with two centuries and a single fifty. His top score of 289 came against Kerala, which paved way for the team to get the first innings lead and secure a berth in the quarter-finals.  In the finals, the 23-year-old scored a total of 134 runs, with 133 coming in the first innings.

Jaiswal had not featured in the league stages but came into this tournament after good outings in the IPL. In six innings, the southpaw slammed 498 runs at an average of 83. He scored 181 in the semi-final game against UP.

Middle-order- Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan

The number three and four positions usually play a key role in stabalizing the innings after a bad start or continuing the momentum built by the openers. In this line-up, the likes of Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan will don this role. Both players marked their presence in the IPL, with Patidar earning a name by a whirlwind century in the Eliminator.

In nine innings, Patidar scored 658 runs at an average of 82.25, with two centuries and five half-centuries. In the first innings of the finals, he scored 122 and provided a lead to MP, and followed with an unbeaten knock of 30 off 37 balls in the subsequent innings to chase down the total and win the trophy for the team. His best score of 142 came against Kerala.

The leading run-scorer of the tournament, Sarfaraz was terrific scoring 982 runs in nine innings at an average of 122.75, comprising four centuries. He registered the highest score of 275 against Saurashtra in the league stages. With an average of 81.61, he just falls behind Sir Donald Bradman’s 99.94 in first-class cricket.

Lower Middle-order- Mandeep Singh (c), Chetan Bist (wk)

The number five and six positions in this XI will be taken care by the experienced Mandeep Singh and Chetan Bist. Mandeep Singh featured for Punjab, who reached the quarter-finals, while Bist played for Nagaland and were eliminated after the culmination of the league stage.

Mandeep scored 376 runs in six innings and was the highest run-scorer for the team at an average of 94. He was the key force for Punjab to feature in the knock-outs. His top knock of 159 came against Haryana in a winning cause.

Bist made his debut with Rajasthan in 2014 but switched to Nagaland from the 2020/21 season. He emerged as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 623 runs in six innings at a terrific average of 311.50. In this pursuit, the 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batter hit five centuries, which is the most by any batter in the 2022 edition.

All-rounders- Shahbaz Ahmed, Shams Mulani

Handy left-handed spinners and useful batters, Shahbaz Ahmed and Shams Mulani played a vital role for the Bengal and Mumbai teams respectively. Both these players contributed in both departments, and ensured the team’s success in this edition.

Shahbaz scored 482 runs in 10 innings at an average of 60.25, with three fifties and a single hundred. He hit his highest-ever first-class score of 116 against Madhya Pradesh in the semi-final game. The 27-year-old picked up 20 wickets at 22.10, and the best figures of 5/79 came in the semis.

The experienced campaigner Mulani emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 45 scalps at 16.75. The southpaw was impressive with the bat to score 321 runs with the willow. In the finals, he contributed with eight wickets and 29 runs.

Bowlers- Kumar Kartikeya, Gaurav Yadav, Mukesh Kumar

When it comes to First-Class cricket, bowlers play a pivotal role in a team’s sucesss. Kumar Kartikeya, Gaurav Yadav, and Mukesh Kumar mark their presence in this coveted XI, who put in hard yards to secure wickets in crunch moments.

MP spinner Kartikeya was second in the list of the wicket tally with 32 scalps. His best match figures of 8/128 came against Bengal in the semi-finals. In the second innings of the finals, the 24-year-old finished with figures of 4/98.

Yadav picked up 23 wickets in five appearances at 18.91 for MP. The 30-year-old was able to pick up six wickets in the finals. Bengal pacer Mukesh scalped 20 wickets in five matches at an average of 24.75, with the best figures of 6/98.