Ankit Bawne

Ankit Bawne is a seasoned Maharashtra batter who has built his reputation as one of the most dependable performers in Indian domestic cricket. A right-handed middle-order batter, he made his first-class debut for Maharashtra against Karnataka in 2007, just days after turning 15, and quickly established himself as a technically sound batter capable of handling difficult situations. He made his List A debut in 2009, followed by his T20 debut two years later in 2011.

His breakthrough came during the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy season, when he averaged over 60 and put together a run of five consecutive scores above fifty. He continued that form into the following campaign, scoring 731 runs as Maharashtra reached the Ranji Trophy final for the first time since 1992-93. Bawne played important knocks throughout the knockout stage, including an 89 in the semi-final against Bengal and scores of 89 and 61 in the final against Karnataka.

Bawne's career-best first-class effort came in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy, when he scored an unbeaten 258 as part of a record-breaking 594-run partnership with Swapnil Gugale. The stand remains one of the biggest partnerships in first-class cricket and the highest in Ranji Trophy history. They were just 30 runs short of breaking the all-time First-Class world-record partnership (624 by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene) because captain Swapnil Gugale was unaware of the global record and declared.

His consistency also earned him opportunities with India A, where he produced several notable performances against opposition including New Zealand A, West Indies A, Australia A and South Africa A. While known as a red-ball specialist, he was Maharashtra’s leading run-scorer in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy (328 runs) and played a key role alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad, scoring 587 runs in 9 games, including a couple of tons during Maharashtra’s run to the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy final.

His performances in domestic cricket eventually earned him an IPL opportunity with Delhi Daredevils in 2017, although he made only one appearance. Bawne has otherwise remained a mainstay of Maharashtra cricket, bringing considerable experience and a reputation for occupying the crease when his side needs stability.