Who among the following was the founder of the Avadh Kingdom in the 18**^ century ?

The founder of the independent kingdom of Awadh (Avadh) in the 18th century was Saadat Khan, also known as Burhan-ul-Mulk [3]. He was a Shia of Iranian descent from Nishapur who was appointed as the Governor (Subahdar) of Awadh in 1722 by the Mughal Emperor [6]. Saadat Khan successfully suppressed rebellious zamindars, established a fresh revenue settlement in 1723, and laid the foundation for a semi-autonomous regional state as Mughal central authority declined [3]. He was succeeded by his nephew and son-in-law, Safdar Jang [6]. In contrast, Murshid Quli Khan and Alivardi Khan were prominent Nawabs of Bengal, not Awadh [4]. Sarfaraz Khan was the son of Shuja-ud-din and served briefly as the Nawab of Bengal before being killed by Alivardi Khan in 1741 [5].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 4: India on the Eve of British Conquest > Awadh > p. 70
2. [3] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 2: Indian States and Society in the 18th Century > Bengal > p. 19
3. [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawab_of_Awadh
4. [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saadat_Ali_Khan_I
5. [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 5: Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India > Alivardi Khan and the English > p. 87