Saurabh Kumar

His first Ranji season announced him quickly. In his very first game he claimed ten wickets, and across the campaign he collected 17 wickets while also scoring 304 runs, enough to draw plenty of attention to the young cricketer.

The 2017-18 season built on that start. Saurabh finished as UP's top wicket-taker with 23 victims, and he also delivered his most notable batting display against Baroda. In that match he and Kuldeep Yadav put together a record stand for the eighth wicket, with both men reaching three figures, and their effort helped UP hold on for a tense draw.

He was also picked up at the IPL auction by the Pune franchise, since disbanded, for 10 Lakhs. He did not get a game for them, but he kept working on his cricket, and in the Duleep Trophy that same year he took 19 wickets from three matches. The following year brought further growth: 51 wickets in ten matches, and a key contribution as UP made their way to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy.