Ranji Trophy 2017-18: 10 unknown names who excelled this season

#9 Abhimanyu Easwaran, Bengal

Abhimanyu Easwaran hit two hundreds against defending champions Gujarat in the quarter-final

564 runs at 47.00 in 7 matches

Bengal's other opener, 22-year-old Abhimanyu Easwaran showed early season form even before the Ranji Trophy began. Playing for India Blue in the Duleep Trophy, the right-hander got 127 against India Red, his highest First-Class score. When playing for Bengal against Services, he hit 65 before getting scores of 83 and 49 for India A in unofficial ODIs against the visiting New Zealand A side.

Back in the Ranji side, then came a brilliant 117 against Punjab; and just two games later, he hit twin centuries against defending champions Gujarat in the quarter-final. By virtue of knocks of 129 and 114, Bengal earned a first innings lead which they later converted into a humongous one, tiring the Gujarat attack in Jaipur.

#10 Chintan Gaja, Gujarat

26 wickets at 19.46 in 7 matches

One of Gujarat's youngsters who did fairly well in their title-winning campaign in 2016-17, right-arm pacer Chintan Gaja improvised this year despite his side bowing out in the quarter-final.

While in his debut season last year he got 13 wickets at 34.23, he exactly doubled that tally with 26 at a much better 19.46 in the 2017-18 campaign.

Gaja converted his only five-for of the season – against Rajasthan in Surat – to a career-best haul of 8/40, a match in which the visitors were thrashed by an innings and 107 runs.