Rahul, Pant, Suryakumar, and Gill to play Duleep Trophy; Updates on big names

Top players missing from Duleep Trophy

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to miss out the India’s season-opening Duleep Trophy, which starts on September 5. The tournament squads will be selected later this month by the panel led by Ajit Agarkar. However, most other centrally contracted players are expected to participate in the four-team competition.

Key players to watch

KL Rahul, who missed most of the England Tests earlier this year due to injury, and Rishabh Pant who could play his first red-ball game since recovering from a car accident in December 2022, are among the players who will draw attention. Other batters likely to be picked include Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rajat Patidar.

Fitness Test for Shami

There’s a chance that Mohammed Shami, who is close to full fitness, might be asked to play one of the matches to prove he’s match-ready. Shami is currently completing his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and has been gradually increasing his bowling workload.

Senior players rested ahead of busy Test season

With India scheduled to play 10 Tests over the next five months five at home and five in Australia senior players are being given an extended break before the two-Test series against Bangladesh, which starts in Chennai on September 19.

Possible venue change

One of the two Duleep Trophy games scheduled to start on September 5 may be moved from Anantapur to Bengaluru for logistical reasons. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been informally approached to host the match.

BCCI’s focus on domestic cricket

The BCCI is prioritizing domestic cricket by ensuring several contracted players participate in the competition. This move aligns with the BCCI’s push to give importance to domestic tournaments. Earlier this year, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah warned that prioritizing the IPL over domestic cricket would have “severe implications.” This led to players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan losing their central contracts after missing Ranji Trophy games before the IPL.

New format for the Duleep Trophy

The Duleep Trophy, which was originally a zonal competition, has been restructured based on recommendations from a BCCI working group that includes former head coach Rahul Dravid, NCA chief VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar, and BCCI General Manager Abey Kuruvilla. The four-team tournament will run until September 22, with each team playing the others in a round-robin format. The team at the top of the standings will be crowned the winner.

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