Priyank Panchal - India - Batsman

The 2016-17 season was one to remember for the elegant Gujarat batsman. Not only did his team win the coveted Ranji trophy for the first-time ever, he himself enjoyed a season that would lead him towards higher recognition. With 1310 runs, he was easily the highest individual run-scorer for the season - with no one else crossing the 1000-run mark. He also smashed a career-best 314 against Punjab - which for some days was the only triple hundred by a Gujarat batsman.

Just one season has had a cascading effect on the matured right-handed batsman. The runs he made helped Gujarat break a long jinx and he was now the talk of the town. Higher honours came in the form of call-ups to the India 'A' team - a major accomplishment for an hitherto unknown batsman. Only time will tell if his 2016-17 performance was one-off, but for now the onus will be on the top-order batsman to make hay when the sun shines.