In a significant development for domestic cricket, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Abhimanyu Easwaran have been named as the captains for the four prestigious squads set to compete in the Duleep Trophy. According to a detailed report by Cricbuzz, a majority of the established players from India’s senior squads have been included to play in the tournament’s first round, with a few notable exceptions. Missing from the lineup are stalwarts such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya. Additionally, senior off-spinner R Ashwin has not been picked, and Mohammed Shami continues his rehabilitation process.
Shubman Gill will be at the helm of Team A, a squad bolstered by notable talents such as Riyan Parag, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, and Kuldeep Yadav. The combination of young rising stars and experienced players makes Team A a formidable squad. “It’s an honor to lead such a talented team,” said Gill. “We’re motivated and ready to give our best performance.”
Team B, captained by Abhimanyu Easwaran, features an impressive roster including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant. This team appears well-rounded with a blend of youth and experience. Allrounder Nitish Reddy is also part of the squad, although his final participation is subject to a fitness test. Easwaran, a seasoned domestic cricketer, expressed his excitement: “Leading a team with such depth and talent is always a pleasure. We’re looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead Team C, which has a robust batting lineup featuring the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Sai Sudharsan, and Rajat Patidar. Such a strong batting contingent ensures that Team C will be one to watch throughout the tournament. Gaikwad, known for his composed nature and leadership skills, enthused, “Our team has immense potential, and I have full confidence that we will perform to the best of our abilities.
.”
Shreyas Iyer, who returns to captain Team D, a well-rounded squad including Ishan Kishan, Devdutt Padikkal, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh among others, rounds out the list of captains. Iyer is recovering from an injury and his return brings experience and stability to the team. “It’s great to be back and leading this unit. We have a good mix of experience and youthful exuberance,” said Iyer.
In additional news from the BCCI, players selected to represent India in the forthcoming home Test series against Bangladesh will be substituted in the Duleep Trophy squads. The tournament is scheduled to commence on September 5, with Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur and the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru selected as the host venues. The tournament will be concluded on September 22.
“The Duleep Trophy offers a grand stage for our top domestic players to showcase their skills,” remarked a BCCI official. “This year’s squads reflect our commitment to providing substantial competitive opportunities for players who are on the fringes of the national team.”
The squads for the Duleep Trophy are a testament to the update provided by Cricbuzz in mid-July concerning the probable increase in national team players featuring in this domestic tournament.
The squads for the Duleep Trophy have been meticulously composed as follows:
**Team A**, under the leadership of Shubman Gill, includes: Shubman Gill (C), Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kumar Kushagra, and Shaswat Rawat.
**Team B**, captained by Abhimanyu Easwaran, comprises: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy* (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, and N Jagadeesan (WK).
**Team C**, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, consists of: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Umran Malik, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), and Sandeep Warrier.
**Team D**, under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, includes: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), and Saurabh Kumar.
The Duleep Trophy promises to be an enthralling showcase of talent, with fans eagerly anticipating top-tier cricket action.