The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the squads for the highly anticipated Duleep Trophy 2024-25, set to begin on September 5. The tournament, a cornerstone of India’s domestic cricket calendar, will feature four teams: India A, India B, India C, and India D. However, the absence of Indian cricket legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has caught the attention of fans and analysts alike.
Captains for the Four Teams Announced
In a significant move, the BCCI has entrusted the captaincy of the four teams to a mix of established and emerging players. Shubman Gill, the young Indian opener, will lead India A. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been in impressive form in both domestic and international cricket, will captain India C. Shreyas Iyer, known for his middle-order prowess, will take charge of India D, while Abhimanyu Easwaran, a consistent performer in domestic cricket, will lead India B.
The announcement of these captains reflects the BCCI’s commitment to grooming the next generation of Indian cricket leaders. All four players have shown significant potential and have been on the radar of the national selectors for some time. Their leadership in the Duleep Trophy will be closely watched as they manage the dual responsibilities of performance and captaincy.
Squads for Duleep Trophy 2024-25
The BCCI has also revealed the complete squads for the four teams participating in the tournament:
Team A (Shubman Gill – Captain):
- 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
- Shaswat Rawat
Team B (Abhimanyu Easwaran – Captain):
- Abhimanyu Easwaran (C)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Rishabh Pant
- Musheer Khan
- Nitish Kumar Reddy*
- Washington Sundar
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Mohd Siraj
- Yash Dayal
- Mukesh Kumar
- Rahul Chahar
- R Sai Kishore
- Mohit Awasthi
- N Jagadeesan (WK)
Team C (Ruturaj Gaikwad – Captain):
- 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)
- Sandeep Warrier
Team D (Shreyas Iyer – Captain):
- Shreyas Iyer (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)
- Saurabh Kumar
Tournament Format and Venues
The Duleep Trophy, which has undergone several format changes over the years, will continue with its round-robin structure. The tournament will be played across two venues – Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh and M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The top team at the end of the three rounds will be crowned the champion.
Kohli and Sharma’s Absence
The absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the squads has raised eyebrows. Both players have been integral to Indian cricket for over a decade, and their exclusion suggests that the selectors might be focusing on resting senior players ahead of a busy international calendar or possibly looking to the future by giving younger players more opportunities.
Significance of the Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy has always been a critical tournament for Indian cricketers, offering a platform for players to showcase their red-ball skills. It serves as an important selection criterion for the national team, particularly for upcoming Test series. With the selectors paying close attention, performances in this tournament could have a significant impact on future national team selections.
As the tournament approaches, all eyes will be on the young captains and their squads as they battle it out for domestic glory. The Duleep Trophy 2024-25 promises to be a thrilling competition, filled with opportunities for emerging talent to make a mark on the Indian cricket scene.
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