Delhi captain Ayush Badoni hit 217 off 246 balls against Gujarat at the Air Force Ground in Palam on Monday. The 26-year-old registered his third first-class double century. “Whenever I bat, I always think about how to take the pressure off my team,” he said after the big innings.
Ayush Badoni did not take off his helmet when he reached his hundred against Gujarat at the Air Force Ground in Palam on Sunday. A day later, when he brought up his double century, the Delhi captain was just as restrained. There was no elaborate celebration, no flourish with the bat. He had a job to do, and there were more runs to be scored.
“I get the most joy when I take wickets, so I celebrate those very well. When I score 100 or 200, I show it, but I am just not very expressive,” Badoni told reporters after the second day's play.
The 26-year-old has already scored two double hundreds in first-class cricket, but he wants to do more than produce the occasional big innings. His unbeaten 205 against Jharkhand in November 2024 and 204 for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy in 2025 showed what he could do when he got set. Against Gujarat, he made 217 off 246 balls, hitting 22 fours and two sixes, to register his third first-class double century and highest score.
“Whenever I bat, I always think about how to take the pressure off my team, score as many runs as possible in the Ranji Trophy, and keep my team in a safe position,” he said after the free-flowing knock on a flat pitch in Palam.
Badoni has begun the new Ranji Trophy season with that intention clear. Delhi lost their opening match against Bengal by nine wickets last week, but their captain made an impact with both bat and ball. He took five wickets for 43 runs in Bengal's first innings before scoring 85 off 134 balls in Delhi's second innings. Against Gujarat, he went a step further, turning his hundred into a double and helping Delhi take control of the match.
He was unbeaten on 115 at the end of the first day and returned on Monday to complete his double century. His 234-run partnership with Priyansh Arya, who fell for 199, put Delhi in a commanding position. For Badoni, the innings was another opportunity to do what he wants to do more often: convert a start into a score that can change the course of a match.
HUNGRY FOR MORE
His recent outings across formats have offered opportunities, but also left room for improvement. Badoni travelled to Sri Lanka with India A for the white-ball tour, before turning his attention to the Duleep Trophy, where he represented North Zone. He scored two half-centuries against West Zone but could not build on them in the semi-final against South Zone.
The Ranji Trophy, then, has offered him a fresh opportunity to make his mark in the longer format. Having spent much of the year in white-ball cricket, Badoni is keen to use the red-ball season to produce the kind of substantial scores that can put his team in a strong position.
“Last year, I thought that while we constantly play white-ball cricket like T20s and the IPL, playing red-ball cricket allows me to change the game and perform in a way that helps my team win and advance,” he said.
“I focused heavily on both my bowling and batting, which is why I was able to score this third double century and a 197. My goal is always to score as many big runs as possible.”
The numbers underline why that ambition is not misplaced. Badoni scored 499 runs in five matches in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, averaging 83.16, including an unbeaten 205 against Jharkhand and a 99 against Railways. He followed that with 294 runs in four matches in 2025-26. After those two seasons, the double hundred against Gujarat is an early statement of intent in his bid to become a more consistent run-scorer.
FOCUS ON BOWLING
His bowling remains an important part of the picture. Badoni has made a point of keeping up his work with the ball even when batting takes up much of his practice time.
With Delhi often struggling for specialist spinners, Badoni has not shied away from doing the bulk of the work with the ball too.
“Whenever I practice, I always bowl a few overs after batting so that, as an all-rounder, I can focus heavily on my bowling as well,” he said.
Badoni's progress has also taken him closer to the national set-up. Gautam Gambhir backed him at Lucknow Super Giants, where he made his IPL debut in 2022, and he has since become a useful white-ball cricketer and a regular presence in India A squads. In January 2026, he received his maiden senior India call-up as a replacement for Washington Sundar for the final two ODIs against New Zealand.
But Badoni is not looking too far ahead. The call-up was a milestone, not a guarantee of what comes next, and he knows that his job is to keep scoring runs and contributing to his team.
“Whatever is not in my hands right now, I am not thinking about it,” he said.
For now, that means concentrating on Delhi and the season ahead.
Badoni's double hundred against Gujarat has given Delhi a strong platform and given him an early opportunity to set the tone for his season. He has shown that he can produce big scores. The next step is to do it more often, while continuing to contribute with the ball and keeping his attention on the cricket in front of him.