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The 2024 Duleep Trophy came to an end recently with the Mayank Agarwal-led Team A winning the tournament. The side finished with a 132-run win over India C, pushing them to the top of the table with 12 points.
They began the tournament with a loss to India B in the opening round, but made a resounding comeback with successive wins to overturn the odds. The tournament has been unlike anything in recent times, with the massive star presence and high-quality games making a huge difference.
The tournament officially kick-started the domestic season in India, and the majority of the players got valuable game-time and shook off their off-season rustiness, but a few of them managed to get into the spotlight with their performances.
The emergence of such players benefits Indian cricket to build its bench strength in the event of the inevitable transition period. Players across all departments shone, giving a glimpse as to how the rest of the domestic season will shape out.
On that note, let us take a look at the best playing 11 of Duleep Trophy 2024.
Top Order - Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, Ricky Bhui
One of the most consistent performers in the red-ball domestic circuits, Abhimanyu Easwaran, unsurprisingly had a formidable campaign while leading the India B side. He ended up as the second-leading run-scorer with 309 runs in five innings at an average of 77.25. The opening batter recorded an unbeaten 157 in the clash against India C, which was the highest individual score of the tournament.
Sai Sudharsan continues to grow from strength to strength, showing a high level of consistency and class across formats. Coming into the Duleep Trophy on the back of a successful county stint with Surrey, the left-handed batter recorded 211 runs in three matches at an average of 35.16. He ended the tournament with a lone fighting knock of 111 against eventual champions India A.
Ricky Bhui is having a domestic run to remember as he emerged as the leading run-scorer of the 2024 Duleep Trophy, after ending the 2024 Ranji Trophy season as the leading run-getter earlier this year. He finished with 359 runs in three matches at an average of 71.80, which included two hundreds and a fifty.
Middle Order- Devdutt Padikkal, Shashwat Rawat, Abishek Porel, Manav Suthar
Devdutt Padikkal was in desperate need of a reset after his white-ball struggles. However, he continues to flourish in the longest format, having a memorable year for various reasons. He had a prolific Ranji campaign for Karnataka, leading to a Test debut for India during the home series against England. In the Duleep Trophy, he recorded 202 runs in three matches at an average of 33.66. He recorded a fifty in each of those three appearances, narrowly missing out on a hundred on one occasion.
Arguably among the breakout stars, the 23-year-old Shashwat Rawat made an impression coming into the second half of the Duleep Trophy campaign. Having made his first-class debut in 2022, the left-handed batter played a crucial role in the middle order in both of India A wins en route to the title. He scored 256 runs in two matches at an average of 85.33
Another candidate who is rapidly rising is wicket-keeper Abishek Porel. After an impactful Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with the Delhi Capitals (DC), the left-handed player chipped in with some impactful scores and three catches in the Duleep Trophy. He finished with 167 runs in three matches at an average of 41.75.
Manav Suthar chipped in with some important contributions at No.7 for India C, recording 111 runs at an average of 27.75, and claimed 10 wickets in total. He scored a brilliant 82 in the drawn encounter against India B and had recorded figures of 7-49 in the opening clash against India D.
Lower Order - Tanush Kotian, Anshul Kamboj, Harshit Rana, Aaqib Khan, Mukesh Kumar
After emerging as the player of the tournament in the Ranji Trophy for his all-round contribution, Tanush Kotian showcased the same form in the Duleep Trophy as well. He scored 121 runs in three matches at an average of 30.25, and 10 wickets at an average of 22.
It is a great time to be a fast bowler in India with rank-turners disappearing gradually from the face of the nation. The new-ball bowlers made an impression right from the word go, and it is no surprise that the top four wicket-takers in the competition are pacers.
Anshul Kamboj ended as the leading wicket-taker of the Duleep Trophy 2024 with 16 wickets at an average of 17.12, including a historic spell of 8-69 against India B. The likes of Mukesh Kumar and tearaway quicks Aaqib Khan and Harshit Rana also enjoyed memorable campaigns to forge a fearsome combined quartet.
