Top 7 performers of the 2018/19 Vijay Hazare Trophy 

Vijay Hazare Trophy’s 17th edition ended with Aditya Tare’s heroics helping Mumbai defeat Delhi to lift the crown. The trophy which is named after one of the most famous Indian cricketers, Vijay Samuel Hazare was first played in the year 2002-03 as a limited-overs domestic cricket competition.

In April 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reduced the total number of teams to 29 (removing Bihar). But then in July 2018, BCCI increased the teams to 37 introducing Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand.

The tournament has 4 groups named as Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D. Groups A and B comprise total 9 teams while Group C and D has 10 teams in it. The 5 best-ranked teams from Group A and B along with the top 2 teams from Group C and the top team from group D qualified for the quarter-finals.

From Group A and B, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad advanced to the knockout stage. While from Group C Jharkhand and Haryana qualified along with Bihar from the Group D. Mumbai emerged as the winners of the cup after overcoming Gautam Gambhir’s Delhi by 4 wickets in the final.

The tournament saw brilliant performances from the top cricketers of the nation. Here are the top 7 performers of the season:

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#1 Most Runs- Abhinav Mukund (Tamil Nadu)

Abhinav Mukund top scored in the tournament

The 28-year-old from Tamil Nadu emerged as the leading run-scorer of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19. Abhinav Mukund scored 560 runs in 9 matches at a blistering average of 70.

Abhinav started his cricket career at a young age. He emulated the feats of young Sachin Tendulkar by scoring hundreds on his Ranji Trophy debut and Irani Trophy debut. He has also got 2 triple centuries to his name in domestic cricket.

An Indian discard Abhinav emerged as the best batsman of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19. However, he may have to perform well for the next few years to get his place back in the Indian team.

#2 Best Batting Average - Paras Dogra (Himachal Pradesh)

Paras Dogra

Paras Dogra has been one of the most productive batsmen in the Indian domestic circuit. The right-handed batsman has scored over 6000 runs so far for Himachal Pradesh. He also has 20 first-class centuries in his name, making him one of the important batsmen for his team.

Dogra stunned everyone in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19 as he emerged as the batsman with the highest batting average from the tournament. Dogra scored 257 runs in his 4 innings at the mind-boggling average of 257.

He was dismissed only once in the 4 matches resulting in such a high average. Despite getting only a few matches to bat, Dogra showed his fire-power and finished as the batsman with the highest average in the tournament.

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#3 Most Hundreds - Karnaveer Kaushal ( Uttarakhand )

Karnaveer Kaushal racked up 3 tons in the tournament

A top-order batsman from Dehradun, Karnaveer Kaushal played just like the Indian legend Virender Sehwag in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19.

Kaushal scored the most number of hundreds in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19. He scored 3 tons in his 8 matches with the total of 489 runs. Apart from this, he also became the first cricketer to score a double-century (202) in the history of Vijay Hazare Trophy.

#4 Most Fifties - Prashant Chopra (Himachal Pradesh)

Prashant Chopra was highly consistent

The wicketkeeper-Batsman from Himachal Pradesh, Prashant Chopra was a part of the India U-19 squad that won the World Cup in 2012. It served as the perfect platform for his debut in the Indian domestic scene as he represented his native state Himachal Pradesh for the first time in 2012.

Prashant scored the most fifties in the 2018-19 season of Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 418 runs from his 8 matches which included 5 fifties in it. If the youngster can keep the same consistency for a longer period, he may soon play for the senior side.

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#5 Most Sixes - Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai)

Shreyas Iyer smashed bowlers out of the park

The Mumbai boy Shreyas Iyer emerged as the shining star from Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19 due to his long and mighty sixes. Iyer racked up a total of 22 sixes in his 6 matches and amassed 373 runs in a season where his side lifted the trophy.

Iyer missed out to be a part of the Indian squad for the ODI series against the West Indies but with a brilliant display in the Hazare trophy, the selectors could pick him for the last 3 ODIs.

#6 Most Wickets - Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand)

Shahbaz Nadeem emerged as the highest wicket taker

Born in a quaint little town in Bihar, the left-arm spinner named Shahbaz Nadeem was the best bowler of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19. Nadeem claimed 24 wickets from his 9 matches at an average of 13.04.

Along with the most number of wickets, Shahbaz Nadeem also made the record for best bowling figures in the history of Vijay Hazare Trophy. Nadeem claimed the bowling figures of 8/10 against the mighty Rajasthan team. Nadeem shattered the entire Rajasthan team as he took 8 wickets in a dream 10 overs spell.

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#7 Best Economy Rate - Ashutosh Aman (Bihar)

Ashutosh Aman

The 32-year-old from Bihar had the best economy rate for a bowler in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19. Aman picked 14 wickets from his 8 matches at the miserly economy of just 2.10 runs per over. The second bowler with the best economy was just behind him conceding only 2.62 runs per over.

With India's squad for the last 3 ODIs against Windies yet to be announced, who do you think should be rewarded an opportunity to play?