Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Anshul Kamboj, Harsh Dubey and Siddharth Desai are among the top five emerging bowlers in ongoing Ranji Trophy.
Some fiery bowling spells and inspirational standout batting performances have been the recent talk of the town in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. As far as the bowling performances are concerned, new blocks have risen through the ranks and hit the ground running.
What stood out the most was the courage and the character these young bowlers displayed while facing up to the accomplished Ranji batters. From the deceptive guile of the left-arm orthodox spinner Harsh Dubey to the destructive right-arm pace bowling of Anshul Kamboj who recently starred with a ten-for against Kerala, the young upcoming Ranji bowling lot has been rich in variety.
In view of their recent ground-breaking exploits with the ball, we bring you the top five emerging bowlers to watch out for in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season.
1. Anshul Kamboj (HARYANA)
The man who destroyed Kerala with an unbelievable spell of fast bowling which saw him take all 10 wickets in an innings is a serious prospect with the ball. The Karnal-born Anshul Kamboj has demonstrated what he is capable of producing and could be a real genius with the ball as time goes on. In only five matches this season, Kamboj has snapped 29 wickets at an astonishing average of 11.75. Moreover, he has also been miserly with the ball going at less than 2.5 RPO while having one of the best operating strike rates for any bowler (27.51) in this ongoing Ranji season.
His scintillating 10/49 against Kerela in November 2024 remains his best bowling performance to date. However, the youngster has followed it up with formidable performances of 4/32 & 3/40 against Karnataka and 4/22 against Uttarakhand, a game that Haryana won by two wickets. Aged only 24 and with a few IPL games under his belt, Kamboj has the potential to shine further and has a long way to progress in his professional international career. Read More: Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Top 5 Performers in Phase 1
2. Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (BENGAL)
The Bengal-born Suraj Jaiswal is yet another rising prospect with the ball. He has been amongst the wickets for Bengal this season and is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for them with 29 wickets across six games. The 25-year-old youngster averages a healthy 17.96 while striking at 35.
Some of his best moments in the Ranji season came against Punjab (4/68 & 4/69), Haryana (6/46 & 5/92), and Karnataka (3/65 & 3/27). His figures of 6/46 against Haryana are by far his best-recorded performance in first-class cricket to date albeit in a losing cause. Jaiswal’s fiery onslaught in the first innings left Haryana ragged as they were bundled out for 157.
But the Bengal bowlers failed to rise to the fore and were crushed for a paltry 125 which gave Haryana a window of opportunity to bat Bengal out of the game. However, he blossomed against Punjab not only with the ball but also with the bat. He picked up four wickets in both innings and scored a match-winning 111 to help Bengal set a decisive target of 357, which Punjab failed to chase and fell short by 13 runs. Jaiswal is yet to make an impact in franchise cricket but with such consistent performances, the wait isn't too far away for the youngster and there could be no looking back once he sets his foot on it.
3. Harsh Dubey (VIDARBHA)
If there is someone who is sitting at the top of the tree as far as the wickets column is concerned this season then it is none other than Harsh Dubey for Vidarbha. The 22-year-old crafty left-arm orthodox spinner is enjoying a dream run in this year’s Ranji competition. He now has 55 wickets under his belt and maintains a remarkable average of 14.50.
Furthermore, Dubey recorded his best first-class bowling figures of 6/36 in this season against Himachal Pradesh. He proved to be a defining factor in that game as he went on to obliterate Himachal early in the second session. He concluded day four with five wickets and finished the innings by picking up his sixth on day five; thus registering his maiden 10-wicket haul in a Ranji match. Dubey played a key role in dismissing Himachal twice as Vidarbha posted a crushing victory by an innings and 88 runs.
His other noteworthy performances came in his very recent Ranji outings against Hyderabad and Rajasthan last month. While starting off, Dubey looked a little off-colour in the first innings against Hyderabad managing only two wickets in nearly 15 overs while going at almost 4 RPO. However, he saved his best till the end and notched up a match-winning 6-57, cutting through the Hyderabad middle order and crippling them in a tough run chase by 58 runs.
His second match-winning performance came against Rajasthan where he accounted for five dismissals across both innings and tormented the opposing batters with his spin to power Vidarbha to a crushing 221-run win. Performances like this will certainly make him a popular prospect with the ball especially on the biggest of the stages. Read More: How India regulars fared in round 6 of Ranji Trophy 2024-25
4. Mahesh Pithiya (BARODA)
Mahesh Pithiya of Baroda isn’t far behind if we look at the wickets tally for the bowlers this season. While still in his formative years in FC cricket, Pithiya has formed a reputation for being a formidable spinner. The 23-year-old is the joint-second highest wicket-taker of the tournament along with Auqib Nabi of Jammu & Kashmir. He has so far claimed 38 wickets while averaging a shade over 20 including his best figures of 6/25 against Meghalaya.
Known to have a similar type of bowling action comparable to the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Pithiya spun a web against the fragile Meghalaya batters and picked up his career-best figures of 6-25 in the first and 3-56 in the second to thrash them by a whopping innings and 261 runs. Pithiya made headlines last year when the touring Australia Test side had called him up as a net bowler. On helpful spin-friendly pitches, Pithiya can have a devastating impact with the ball.
5. Siddharth Desai (GUJARAT)
Siddharth Desai is yet another left-arm spinner hailing from the state of Gujarat who can be a very tricky customer to deal with. With 38 FC appearances under his belt, Siddharth has made significant gains in recent times. The 24-year-old holds 33 wickets across seven matches and averages a sensational 23.06. This Ranji season has been a breakthrough season for the Ahmedabad-born youngster. Just like the current crop of bowlers listed above, Siddharth too has registered his career-best first-class bowling figures of 9-26 in this season against Uttarakhand.
The left-arm spinner claimed nine wickets in an innings and scripted the best bowling figure by any bowler in the history of Gujarat cricket. The left-arm orthodox spinner's incredible figures of 9-36 surpassed the previous record of 8-31, set by Rakesh Vinubhai Dhruv against Saurashtra in 2012. Further on, he even starred in his most recent Ranji fixture against Himachal where he bagged 4-44 in the final innings to floor Himachal for only 145. Read More: Young Sai Sudharsan demands attention with double ton against Delhi in Ranji Trophy 2024-25
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