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, Pakar 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 |
| Jalaj Saxena | 421 | Madhya Pradesh, Kerala |
| Vaman Kumar | 418 | Madras, Tamil Nadu |
| Shahbaz Nadeem | 416 | Jharkhand |
| Pankaj Singh | 409 | Rajasthan, Puducherry |
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
