Ranji Trophy 2019-20: High run rates and low averages

27.13 - The average runs per wicket in this Ranji Trophy season 2019-20, which is the lowest among the last 15 seasons since 2005-06 (excluding the Plate League matches). The average was 28.24 in the last season and in the 2005-06 season, which was the previous lowest. The average was 33.21 two seasons back, in 2017-28, which is one of the highest in recent seasons.

3.25 - The average run rate in this Ranji season, which is in fact the highest in the last 15 seasons. The scoring rate was 3.14 last season and 3.23 in 2017-18, which are the top-three seasons in terms of run rates in the last 15 years.

64.50 - Percentage of matches in this Ranji season that produced a result - 109 out of 169 matches. It is the second-highest percentage of results in a season in the last 15 years. There were 65% results in the last season, which is the highest in the last 15 seasons. Most of the matches that were drawn this year were rain-affected, in which significant overs were lost.

24.77 - The combined average of opening batsmen in this season, which is the lowest among the last 15 seasons. There was no opener among the top 20 run-getters in this season. The highest tally by an opener was 646 runs by Goa's Sumiran Amonkar. Among 17 openers who scored 400-plus runs, only two averaged over 50: Chandigarh's Arslan Khan (504 runs at 72.00) and Tamil Nadu's Abhinav Mukund (564 at 70.50).

In comparison with previous seasons, there was at least one opener among the top-five run-getters in a season whereas in this season the most successful opener, Amonkar, was ranked 24th in the highest run-scorers list. In the last three seasons, there were at least seven openers who scored 500-plus runs at an average of more than 50 while in this season there were only two such openers.

5 - Number of centuries scored by the openers of the four semifinalist teams - two for Bengal and one each by openers in Saurashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. In fact, Karnataka batsmen combined scored just one century in the whole season (by R Samarth).

420 - Runs scored by Anustup Majumdar in the knockout matches in this Ranji Trophy, including two centuries and a fifty. He scored centuries in the quarter-final and semi-final and a half-century in the final. The last batsman to score hundreds in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of a Ranji season was Ashok Menaria in Rajasthan's maiden Ranji title run in 2010-11. In the group stages, Majumdar had scored only 284 runs in eight innings with two fifties, before making 420 runs in five innings in the knockouts.

50 - Cheteshwar Pujara scored his 50th century in his first-class career when he scored 248 against Karnataka. He became the ninth India player to score 50 or more hundreds in the format. It was his 13th double-century in first-class matches, already the most by any Indian batsman.

10,000 - Abhinav Mukund completed 10,000 runs in his first-class career in this Ranji season. He now has 10,258 runs to his name. He also played 100 Ranji Trophy matches. He achieved the milestone in the match against Baroda, when he scored 206.

442 - Wickets for Vinay Kumar in Ranji Trophy. He is now the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy history and the most successful fast bowler. the only bowlers to have more wickets than Kumar are Rajinder Goel (637 wickets), Srinivas Venkataraghavan (530) and Sunil Joshi (479). Before the start of the season, Kumar was the 11th highest wicket-taker in Ranji. With 45 wickets in this season, he has reached the fourth spot on the list.

5 - Parthiv Patel became the fifth wicketkeeper to effect 300 or more dismissals in the Ranji Trophy. He now has 305 victims in 103 matches. Patel reached the milestone in the quarter-final against Goa.