Ranji Trophy 2017/18: Five best bowlers in the group stages

The round-robin matches of the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season have come to an end today, and Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Bengal have booked their slots for the quarter-finals.

It is a welcome sign to see dark horses like Vidarbha, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh play dominating cricket this season. However, tournament favourites like Mumbai and Gujarat had to fight until the very end to earn their ticket to the quarter-finals.

This season has given us some new bowling sensations. It has been a good trial ground for Indian fast bowlers.

They have shown everyone the importance of domestic cricket. One frustrating aspect of the group stage Ranji games, however, is the failure of the administration to prepare any pacer-friendly tracks.

We have considered bowlers' consistency, wicket-taking ability, strike-rate, bowling average, match-winning performances while coming up with the finalized list of best bowlers.

Here are the top 5 bowlers of the group-stage of 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season.

#5 Ishant Sharma (Delhi)

The Indian selectors have done well in sending Ishant Sharma to play Ranji Trophy games; he played exceedingly well to earn a spot in the Indian bowling lineup.

The 6'4'' bowler played just four games for Delhi, but has made an immense impact with his opportunity, and claimed 20 wickets at an average of 12.80. Yes, a bowling average of 12.80. He is one of the very few standout fast bowlers in the spin-dominant tournament.

He started his campaign with a bang, claiming a five-wicket haul against Assam. Whenever he has a chance to play, he impresses with his consistent wicket-taking ability.

Sharma took 14 wickets in his next three Ranji games, ensuring a smooth passage for Delhi on to the knockouts.

He continued his impressive performance in India's recently concluded 2nd Test against Sri Lanka. He ended with match figures of 5/80 on a batting-friendly Nagpur wicket.

#4 Akshay Wakhare (Vidarbha)

Wakhare is having a sensational Ranji season; taken 27 wickets at average of 17.03

The 32-year old off-spinner played a pivotal role in helping Vidarbha to qualify for the knockout stages of Ranji Trophy games.

Wakhare had his breakthrough season in 2015-16, after debuting nine years earlier. His consistent performances on the domestic circuit in the last two seasons have earned him a spot in the Duleep Trophy. His speciality of extracting extra bounce on a placid wicket has troubled many a batsman.

He has taken 27 wickets from his five games, with an impressive average of 17.03 and an economy rate of 2.51. Wakhare is known for his stingy spells which force batsmen to make errors.

He started the campaign with a four-wicket haul against Punjab. He then, went on to take a 10-wicket haul in the next match. He again took nine wickets against Goa.

Wakhare's splendid bowling performance has helped Vidarbha to get an easy passage to the knockouts. He has taken three 5-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket haul this season.

There are players like Pathania, Parvez Rasool, D Jadeja, SA Desai who have taken more wickets than Wakhare. However, his outstanding bowling average added with his match-winning spells have earned him a spot in the top five bowlers list.

#3 Ashok Dinda (Bengal)

Ashok Dinda, the phoenix of Indian Cricket

Ashok Dinda has many unpopular bowling records to his name. He became the butt of jokes of many Indian fans. However, like any hard-working professional, he kept on doing his job. Nothing deterred his confidence. In fact, he took the criticism in a positive way and replied to his critics with his magnificent bowling performance.

Dinda has taken 30 wickets from his six matches so far. The most impressive aspect of his bowling is his average and strike-rate. He has an impressive average and strike-rate of 17.80 and 37.5 respectively.

He is the best fast bowler in the current Ranji season. His impressive 10-wicket haul helped Bengal to enforce an innings defeat to Chhattisgarh. Rightly so, he was adjudged Man of the Match for his impressive performance. He continued his impressive bowling against Himachal Pradesh and took eight wickets.

Like a phoenix, Dinda has risen from the ashes. His recent performances may well have put him in the attention of selectors for India's upcoming tours.

#2 Piyush Chawla (Gujarat)

Piyush Chawla has gotten his lady back after joining Gujarat this season

Piyush Chawla's decision to shift base from Uttar Pradesh to Gujarat has worked wonders for him. The 28-year old cricketer is having an outstanding domestic season. He has taken a staggering 31 wickets from his nine innings. The fascinating aspect of his bowling is, he has taken his wickets at an imposing average of 17.51 and a strike rate of 31.5 - statistics that would make any bowler proud.

His consistent performances have helped Gujarat to claim four outright wins of their five games. Analysis shows that the Gujarat Team is heavily dependent upon Chawla to deliver a win for them.

When he failed to perform in a game against Saurashtra, Gujarat could manage only a draw conceding the first innings-lead.

Piyush is easily the 2nd best bowler of the group stage. He would love to continue his performance in the knockout stages of the tournament too. He is just 28, and can make a comeback into the Indian team if he continues to perform well.

#1 Jalaj S Saxena (Kerala)

Saxena is Kerala's linchpin this season; both in batting and bowling department

Jalaj Saxena, the best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy for the last two seasons, is rekindling his India hopes after a magical all-round display in Ranji cricket.

Saxena joined the Kerala Ranji team from Madhya Pradesh last year. His switch to Kerala did not go well initially, as they were bowed out of the tournament in the league phase itself. Things have changed this season, with Kerala playing emphatically in Ranji this year.

Saxena is the fulcrum of their attack, playing a vital role in helping Kerala to reach the knockout phase of the tournament.

He is the leading wicket-taker in this tournament. He has taken 38 wickets at an impressive average of 15.15, and has three 5-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls from his five games. The next leading wicket-taker for Kerala is S Joseph, who has claimed 19 wickets which is half of what Saxena has. Such is the influence of Saxena in Kerala's Ranji performance.

Saxena's contribution did not stop just with bowling. He is one of their best batsmen this season, as well, and has scored 482 runs at an impressive average of 60.25. Only Sanju Samson has scored more runs than Saxena for the team.