Ranji Trophy, India’s premier First-Class tournament, boasts a rich history of producing excellent bowlers since 1934-35. The competition is a perfect platform to test a bowler’s skills and temperament to play in the longest format.
Over the years, many bowlers have shown their endurance and penchant for picking wickets in bulk. Some notable bowlers like Rajinder Goel, Padmakar Shivalkar, and Utpal Chatterjee left their mark in the tournament’s history.
Here, in this article, we’ll look at the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in Ranji Trophy history.
Most Wickets in Ranji Trophy History
Player | Wickets | Teams Represented |
---|---|---|
Rajinder Goel | 637 | Patiala, Southern Punjab, Delhi, Haryana |
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan | 530 | Madras, Tamil Nadu |
Sunil Joshi | 479 | Karnataka |
Vinay Kumar | 442 | Karnataka, Puducherry |
Narendra Hirwani | 441 | Madhya Pradesh, Bengal |
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar | 437 | Mysore, Karnataka |
Vaman Kumar | 418 | Madras, Tamil Nadu |
Shahbaz Nadeem | 412 | Jharkhand |
Pankaj Singh | 409 | Rajasthan, Puducherry |
Sairaj Bahutule | 405 | Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Assam, Vidarbha |
Key Insights
637: Left-arm spinner Rajinder Goel holds the record for picking up the most wickets in the Ranji Trophy. He represented 4 different teams and bagged a whopping 637 wickets. Despite his stellar numbers in the domestic tournament, he never played Test cricket.
16: India’s elite leg spinner, Anil Kumble, ran through Kerala’s batting lineup and picked up the best match haul of the Ranji Trophy in 1995. Playing for Karnataka, Kumble took 8 wickets each in both innings and finished with the match figures of 16/99. Apart from him, Pradeep Sunderam and Jalej Saxena have grabbed a 16-wicket haul each in the competition’s history.
Also Read | ACF 4: Anil Kumble vs batsmen at nervous 90s
10: Bengal’s Premangsu Chatterjee delivered the best bowling figures in the premier First-Class tournament. He scalped 10 wickets by conceding 20 runs against Assam in the 1956-57. Pradeep Sunderam (10/78) is the other bowler who has achieved the extraordinary feat of plucking 10 wickets in an innings.
68: Left-arm spinner Ashutosh Aman scalped the most wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season. Aman had thunderous outings in the 2018-19 season and grabbed 68 wickets in 8 matches at an impressive average of 6.48.
300: Over 39 bowlers have nabbed 300 or more wickets in the Ranji Trophy.