Ranji Trophy 2017-18: Playing XI of the season

Middle-order

Anmolpreet Singh, Punjab - 753 runs at 125.50 in 5 matches

Punjab's Anmolpreet Singh smashed three centuries this Ranji season

A graduate of the Punjab Under-16 and the Under-19 sides, top order bat Anmolpreet Singh first burst onto the big stage by carving out a sensible innings of 72 for India in the semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, though India fell short in the final against West Indies. Before that, a respectable contribution of 41 against Namibia in the same tournament had shown glimpses of what was to come.

Soon, Anmolpreet earned a place in the Punjab side, making his List-A debut in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy and stroking a rapid 58 off 41 balls, a knock including 4 fours and 3 sixes. Though that effort went in vain, he stepped out as a Ranji debutant the following season; and a 50 in his first match acted as a spark of three centuries to come.

A knock of 113 in an innings win over Goa, then 267 at over a run a ball against Chattisgarh in yet another innings victory and 252* against Services in a spirited draw announced his potential.

Hanuma Vihari, Andhra – 752 runs at 94.00 in 6 matches

The captain of the Andhra side, Hanuma Vihari led from the front by compiling massive runs, ending the season as the fourth-highest run-getter overall and by far the highest run-getter from his team. It was only last year that he switched from Hyderabad to Andhra, and seeing his potential, captaincy arrived for the 2017-18 season.

Pre-season scores of 59* in a one-day game for India Under-23 against an Afghanistan Emerging side and 105 for India Blue in the Duleep Trophy signalled his intent early.

And in just the second Ranji match, Vihari, 24, struck 150 against Baroda, who had Irfan Pathan and an in-form Swapnil Singh in their bowling line-up. In just the next game, he bashed 302* against Odisha, his maiden first-class triple century. He ended with two hundreds and three half-centuries as Andhra exited in the group stages.

Siddhesh Lad, Mumbai – 652 runs at 59.27 in 7 matches

The eighth highest run-getter this season and the highest from his side, Siddhesh Lad, along with Dhawal Kulkarni, was the only shining spark from Mumbai. A team expected to make it big and produce outright results found in Lad a consistency lacking from others like Abhishek Nayar and Aditya Tare.

He hit two hundreds and three fifties this season with a highest score of 123 against Tripura in the final group game which Mumbai went on to win by 10 wickets. Innings of 82, 71* and 86 also improved Lad's season though Mumbai lost to Karnataka in the quarter-final.

Sanju Samson (WK), Kerala – 627 runs at 52.25 in 7 matches

In a season of disappointment for Kerala, their wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson shone with a bright display by accumulating 627 runs with two centuries and three half-centuries. Though Samson threw away multiple starts – innings of 51, 28, 42, 72, 68 and 32 must have frustrated him and his team equally – what will give him confidence is the hundred against the visiting Sri Lankans in the warm-up game.

Against an international bowling attack, he got 128 and in the Ranji game immediately after that, smashed 175 against Saurashtra, having hit 112 against Jammu & Kashmir just before that.