Veteran opening batter Priyank Panchal, a Ranji Trophy winner with Gujarat, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket with immediate effect. The 35-year-old finishes as Gujarat’s second-highest run-getter in FC cricket, 19 short of Parthiv Patel’s tally of 7011 runs before calling time on his domestic career spanning over 17 years.

During the course of his career, spanning 127 matches, Panchal slammed 23 centuries, the most by a Gujarat player. He ended up with a total of 8856 runs, which includes the returns from the 97 List A games and 59 T20s that he featured.

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Panchal, who broke into the scene in 2007-08, was instrumental in transforming Gujarat from a middling team to a champion side across formats. He leaves with the distinction of being part of the winning squads of all domestic tournaments – Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (2014-15), Vijay Hazare Trophy (2015-16) and Ranji Trophy (2016-17).

“Growing up, everyone looks up to their father, idolises them, gets inspired, and tries to impress them. I was no different. My dad was a long-lasting source of strength for me. I was moved by the energy that he gave me, the way he encouraged me to pursue my dreams, to rise from a relatively small city and dare to aspire to wear the India cap one day,” Panchal wrote on his social media handle.

“He left us long ago, and it was a dream I carried with me for nearly two decades, season after season, until today. I, Priyank Panchal, announce my retirement from first-class cricket with immediate effect. It’s an emotional moment. It’s an enriching moment. And it’s a moment which fills me with a lot of gratitude,” he added.

During the Ranji title-winning season in 2016-17, Priyank contributed heavily to the success of the Gujarat team, amassing a career-high of 1310 runs, including a career-best 314 against Punjab. At the time, this tally was second-best to VVS Laxman’s tally of 1415 runs, the most in a single Ranji season.

That turned out to be the breakthrough season for Panchal, as he found himself close to national reckoning after being named captain of the India A squads. He remained a part of the national selectors’ radar for a while, and the closest he got to being part of the national team was in 2021-22 when he was named as Rohit Sharma’s replacement for the South Africa tour.

However, Panchal failed to get a game, and remained uncapped at the international level. He’s also one of the rare Indian contemporary cricketers, who hasn’t featured in the IPL as well.