Jaydev Unadkat ended the Ranji Trophy 2019-20 season as the best bowler, leading his team Saurashtra to their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Along with Unadkat, there were several other bowlers that graced the tournament with their outstanding show with the ball.
Best bowlers of Ranji Trophy 2019-20
Jayadev Unadkat Scalped 67 Wickets
Outstanding, magnificent, scintillating. You can use all the words in the dictionary but won’t be able to fully l justify the brilliant performance by Jayadev Unadkat in this Ranji Trophy (2019-20) season. Unadkat was on fire from the moment he bowled his first delivery in the tournament and was the prime reason for Saurashtra’s maiden Ranji Trophy Title triumph. 67 wickets in 10 games speak the volume of his performance in this Ranji season. He ended the season just a wicket behind Ashutosh Aman’s record 68 wickets in a Ranji season.
He started the tournament with a bang, picking up 6 wickets in the second innings against Himachal Pradesh, leading his team to a comfortable win. He backed up his performance with a 10 wicket haul against the Railways.
After a pretty average game against Uttar Pradesh, Unadkat bounced back with two six wicket hauls against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. He then went on to destroy Baroda by picking up 12 wickets in the match, handing Saurashtra their third victory of the tournament.
Against Tamil Nadu, Unadkat bowled his heart out for his 6-43 in the first innings before rattling Andhra Pradesh with 4-42. He then took 10 wickets in the semi-final against Gujarat, taking his team to the finals before signing off a dream season with 2-96 against Bengal in the final.
R Sanjay Yadav Performs With The Ball For Meghalaya
With 55 wickets in 15 innings of 9 matches, Sanjay Yadav of Meghalaya was another star bowler of the tournament. The left arm spinner had a fantastic start to the tournament, paving way for a massive win with a 13 wicket haul against Nagaland.
After two poor performances against Goa and Chandigarh, Yadav returned with figures of 10-62 against Puducherry. Yadav followed up his unbeaten 254 with 6 wickets in both innings against Mizoram and backed it up with 11 wickets against Manipur.
With a 5 wicket haul in the second innings against Sikkim and 7 wickets against Arunachal Pradesh, R Sanjay Yadav turned out to be an ace performer for Meghalaya. He indeed was one of the best all-rounder of the tournament with consistent contributions with the bat and ball.
Harshal Patel Leads Haryana’s Bowling
Haryana’s Harshal Patel was in top form this Ranji season. With 52 wickets in 17 innings, Patel bowled his heart out for Haryana. Patel’s 9 wickets against Maharashtra lead Haryana to an impressive win against Maharashtra before he dismantled Tripura with a 12 wicket haul.
Harshal continued his good form and picked up 6 wickets in a thrilling win against Chhattisgarh. He followed it with an impressive 9 wicket haul against Services. He contributed massively in Haryana’s outstanding win against Assam , picking up 4 wickets each in both innings.
Diwesh Pathania Leads the bowling for Services
Playing for Services, Diwesh Pathania accounted for 50 wickets in the 17 innings and played a crucial role for his team’s victories in the tournament. He bowled crucial spells and bailed his tea out of trouble in many occasions.
He made an immediate impact in the tournament, picking up a 5 wicket haul in the first inning against Assam. His second 5 wicket haul came against Tripura where Pathania helped Services bowl out Tripura for a mere 123 in the first innings, setting his team up for a comfortable win.
Pathania continued his good run and picked up another 5 wicket haul, his third in the second inning against Maharashtra and lead his team to a massive victory. He made important contributions against Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, accounting for 7 and 8 match wickets respectively.
He was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings against Jharkhand, helping his team gain an invaluable first inning lead. He ran out fire in the final two matches but was one of the find of the tournament.
Manisankar Murasingh: Tripura’s Bowling Sensation
Murasingh was the lone bright spot for Tripura in a horrific tournament. Every now and then when Tripura had their backs against the wall, Murasingh brought them back into the game.
Unfortunately, he got little support from his other teammates. Murasingh ended the tournament with 49 wickets in 15 innings.
He was brilliant against Haryana and Services with match figures of 5-64 and 8-73 respectively but his best performance came against Jammu and Kashmir where he ended with figures of 10-164.
There were some other noticeable mentions such as Ashutosh Aman of Bihar and Ishwar Chaudhary of Sikkim who were at the top of their game throughout the tournament. Both, Ashutosh Aman and Ishwar ended the tournament with 49 wickets in 16 innings.
So these are the best bowlers of ranji trophy 2019-20 as per our analysis. Do you know anyone else who might join the list? let us know in the comments below.