Most Runs In A Single Duleep Trophy Season (Source: Web/AFP)Ishan Kishan was out in the wilderness after he was stripped of his India central contract in February 2024 for making himself unavailable for domestic cricket. He has since resurfaced and refashioned himself as the poster boy for the domestic grind in India.Ishan Kishan is representing East Zone against South Zone in the final of the Duleep Trophy 2026. In the summit clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, he scored 270 runs in the first innings. He followed it up with a knock of 80 runs off 98 balls in the second innings on Thursday.Ishan Kishan plays a record knock in final; Yet no place in most runs tallyAfter breaking the record for the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper-batter in the Duleep Trophy, Ishan has now broken another record with his half-century on Day 4. Ishan Kishan now holds the record for scoring the most runs in a single match (across two innings) in the history of the tournament.On top of that, the East Zone captain leads the charts as the leading run-scorer of the 2026 Duleep Trophy, with 409 runs in just 3 games.Also read - Ishan Kishan Overtakes Indian Star: Highest Individual Score In Duleep Trophy FinalHowever, despite ending the tournament with over 400 runs, Ishan Kishan is still not even in the top 20 for the record of most runs in a single Duleep Trophy tournament series/season.That being said, in this article, let’s take a look at the top five batters with the most runs in a single Duleep Trophy season.5) Ajay Sharma (North Zone) - 504 runs in 1994/95 editionAjay Sharma scored 504 runs for North Zone during the 1994/95 edition of the Duleep Trophy. Playing as a right-handed middle-order batter, he was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, trailing only Surendra Bhave.Apart from that, in 1999-2000, he became the Ranji Trophy's highest run-scorer, and his 31 hundreds were also a record. In 1996-97, he became only the third batsman to score 1000 runs in a Ranji Trophy season.However, Ajay Sharma's career will be seen as disappointing. Firstly, a man whose first-class average was the third-highest among players to have scored 10,000 runs played only one Test; secondly, his career ended when he was implicated in the match-fixing scandal that rocked world cricket, earning a life ban.4) Sridharan Sriram (South Zone) - 521 runs in 2001/02 editionPlaying for the South Zone, Sridharan Sriram finished as the leading run-scorer of the 2001-02 Duleep Trophy season with 521 runs. He topped the tournament's batting charts ahead of other notable run-getters like Vikram Rathour and Hrishikesh Kanitkar.Barring Tamil Nadu, Sriram has also played for Maharashtra, Goa, Assam and Himachal Pradesh, playing his final First-Class match against Maharashtra for Himachal Pradesh in December 2011.Also read: Tilak Varma’s Agonising 99 In Duleep Trophy Final Lands Him In Rare ClubHis consistent performances in the domestic circuit earned him his maiden national call-up. Sriram made his debut in an ODI game against South Africa at Nagpur in 2000.3) Dinesh Mongia (North Zone) - 532 runs in 2000/01 editionDinesh Mongia stands out as one of the most unique figures in modern Indian cricket, a prolific domestic batter whose international career was defined by odd milestones, tactical utility, and iconic trivia rather than long-term longevity.Mongia's growing stature as a free-stroking batter gained full momentum during the 2000-2001 domestic season.In the 2000-01 Duleep Trophy, Mongia was the leading run-scorer, hitting 532 runs for North Zone, and the third-most in the tournament history. In the same Duleep Trophy season, Mongia scored a triple century and then two double hundreds.In the tournament, he first hit a stroke-filled 201 against a strong South Zone attack that included five bowlers who had played for the country. A couple of matches later, Mongia battered the Central Zone attack for a thrilling 208.2) Surendra Bhave (West Zone) - 651 runs in 1994/95 editionA right-handed opening batsman known for prolific run-scoring and the ability to build large innings, Bhave regularly captained Maharashtra throughout the 1990s.The former Indian first-class cricketer, Surendra Bhave, scored 651 runs playing for West Zone in the 1994-95 Duleep Trophy season.He missed his triple-ton by just eight runs in the encounter against South Zone in Rourkela. Bhave smashed a fine 292, the third-highest individual score in Duleep Trophy history. His 739-minute vigil ended when he was bowled by off-spinner Kanwaljit Singh.1) Raman Lamba (North Zone) - 659 runs in 1987/88 editionFormer India batter Raman Lamba holds the record for most runs in a single Duleep Trophy edition - a stunning 659 runs for North Zone in the 1987–88 season.In first-class cricket, he scored a total of 8,776 runs at 53.84 and played 175 innings, including 31 centuries and 27 fifties.Notably, his 320 in the same season for North Zone against West Zone in the final at Bhilai remained the highest individual score for almost 3 decades, until Ishan Kishan surpassed him with his 350 runs in the 2026 final.Also read: PCB Fixes Imam-ul-Haq, Rizwan, Salman Agha's Cricket Comeback After Pakistan Snub
