Ranji Trophy 2024-25 second round roundup: Top performers

The first-round matches of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season have ended with Tripura, Mumbai, Baroda, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Goa, Nagaland and Mizoram standing out as winners. Six matches ended in a draw, with one getting abandoned with a ball being bowled.  After 19 matches in the Elite and Plate groups, here are the top performers of the first round.

Cheteshwar Pujara | 234

Cheteshwar Pujara, known for his classic defense, stands second in the list of top performers. Pujara scored a steady 234 off 383 balls when his team Saurashtra was struggling at 13/1 against Chandigarh. 

His innings include 24 boundaries and one over boundary, with a moderate strike rate of 61.10.

It was Pujara's 18th First-Class double century that also came in aid to restrict the match in a draw against Chhattisgarh.

Read Also: Ranji Trophy 2024-25 first round roundup: Top performers

Sai Sudarshan | 213 runs

Tamil Nadu put a massive total of 674 after losing 6 wickets against Delhi. Sai Sudarshan holds the major credit for scoring an impressive 213 runs of 274 balls, smashing 24 boundaries and one over boundary. He maintained a strike rate of 77.74.

Delhi being bundled out within 266, TN was forced to follow on. However, the match ended in a draw.

Amandeep Khare | 203*

Chattisgarh skipper Amandeep Khare played an unbeaten knock of 203 runs off 394 balls. Him with his teammate Sanjeet Desai (146 off 241) gave a respectful position of 578 runs for Chattisgarh, until the match ended a draw.

Amandeep's innings include 20 boundaries and 4 overboundaries. He maintained a strike rate of 51.52.

Jagjit Singh | 7/57

Chandigarh seamer Jagjit Singh’s brilliant 7/57 against Assam in Guwahati powered his team to a 9-wicket win. Starting with Rahul Hazarika’s wicket, he tore through Assam’s middle order, reducing them to 121/5.

His swing and accuracy saw him claim five of the last six wickets, restricting Assam to 185 and setting up an easy chase of 78. Jagjit’s spell was key to Chandigarh's victory, making it one of the standout performances of the round.

Lalith Mohan | 7/76 

Andhra's left-arm spinner Jagjit Singh delivered a stunning 7/76 in a tense clash against Gujarat in Ahmedabad.

Chasing 144, Gujarat seemed on course for victory but struggled against Lalith's flight and turn, with key wickets falling, including Jaymeet Patel and Chintan Gaja.

Despite Mohan's brilliant spell, Gujarat's tail edged a win by 1 wicket, leaving his performance as the highlight of Andhra's defeat.

Shivalik Sharma | 178

Baroda’s Shivalik Sharma, played a composed 178 off 394 balls at a srtrike rate of 45.18, for Baroda against Services.

Sharma rescued the team from a situation of rapid wickets falls against Services. His innings include 10 boundaries and two over boundaries.

Shivalik with his teammate Vishnu Solanki (125 off 297) put a total of 477 runs in the first innings.

Services came out to bat posting271 in response. Baroda declared after scoring 134 runs in the second innings to which Services fell short by 65 runs.

Ayush Mhatre | 176 & 15

The Mumbai opener scored 176 runs off 232 balls, with a strike rare of 75.86. He smashed 22 boundaries and 4 over boundaries.

Ayush Mhatre is one of the only two two batters for Mumbai who not not crossed 50, but did reach a ton.

The other batter, Shreyas Iyer, who played a comeback innings of 142, had Mhate to put 441 runs on the board, eventually winning the match against Maharashtra by 9 wickets.

Manisankar Murasingh | 6/52

Tripura's Manisankar Murasingh delivered a brilliant 6/52 in Shillong, securing an innings win against Meghalaya.

His pace, swing, and aggression dismantled Meghalaya's top order, removing Balchander Anirudh and Ajay Duhan cheaply, before cleaning up the tail to bowl them out for 222 and enforce the follow-on.