Ankit Bawne

A stylish middle-order batsman, Ankit Bawne has been the pillar of Maharashtra's middle-order for well over a decade, having made his first-class debut in 2007. It seems strange then that a veteran of 10 seasons in India's domestic league is just 24 in actual age (as on 2017). One of those child prodigies in the Indian domestic scene, Bawne was barely 15 when he made his Maharashtra debut, against Karnataka.

It was a modest debut for the right-handed batsman and he was one amongst the hat-trick victims of Vinay Kumar in the second innings. But since then, he has progressed a long way and has turned out to be the heartbeat of his team.

With growing maturity, Bawne has developed himself into a versatile batsman and guided Maharashtra to their first-ever Ranji final since 1992 during the 2013-14 season, where they lost to Karnataka. During the 2016-17 Ranji season, Bawne was involved in a 594-run stand with Swapnil Gugale, the second highest ever stand for any wicket in first-class cricket. The right-hander ended up with an unbeaten 258 - his career-best score in first-class cricket.

Bawne got his rewards in the form of a call-up to the Delhi Daredevils franchise during 2017 IPL auctions and was also selected for the India 'A' team - for the tour of South Africa and the home series against New Zealand.