The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squads for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 14 at the newly established BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The prestigious inter-zonal red-ball tournament will witness India’s rising stars and experienced players battling it out for zonal supremacy. Notable names like Dhruv Jurel, Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur, and Ishan Kishan have been appointed as captains of their respective zones.
Dhruv Jurel to Lead Central Zone
India’s young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has been named captain of the Central Zone, bringing leadership experience from his stint as a stand-in for Rishabh Pant in India’s Test setup. Rajat Patidar has been named vice-captain, subject to fitness clearance. The squad features a balanced mix of young talent and seasoned campaigners, including Kuldeep Yadav and Deepak Chahar.
Central Zone Squad:
Dhruv Jurel (C, WK)
Rajat Patidar (VC, subject to fitness)
Aryan Juyal
Danesh Malewar
Sanjeet Desai
Kuldeep Yadav
Aditya Thakre
Deepak Chahar
Saransh Jain
Ayush Pande
Shubham Sharma
Yash Rathod
Harsh Dubey
Manav Suthar
Khaleel Ahmed
Standbys: Madhav Kaushik, Yash Thakur, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mahipal Lomror, Kuldeep Sen, Upendra Yadav
Shubman Gill to Captain North Zone
India’s Test skipper Shubman Gill will lead the North Zone squad, which comprises several India prospects like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana. With the Asia Cup 2025 likely to clash with the Duleep Trophy, the selection panel has also named replacements in case of national team call-ups.
North Zone Squad:
Shubman Gill (Captain, Punjab)
Shubham Khajuria (J&K)
Ankit Kumar (VC, Haryana)
Ayush Badoni (Delhi)
Yash Dhull (Delhi)
Ankit Kalsi (Himachal Pradesh)
Nishant Sandhu (Haryana)
Sahil Lotra (J&K)
Mayank Dagar (Himachal Pradesh)
Yudhvir Singh Charak (J&K)
Arshdeep Singh (Punjab)
Harshit Rana (Delhi)
Anshul Kamboj (Haryana)
Auqib Nabi (J&K)
Kanhaiya Wadhawan (J&K, WK)
Standbys: Shubham Arora, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma
Replacements if needed:
Shubham Rohilla for Gill
Gurnoor Brar for Arshdeep
Anuj Thukral for Harshit Rana
West Zone Names Shardul Thakur as Captain
Shardul Thakur will lead the West Zone squad, which includes an impressive lineup of national stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Sarfaraz Khan. Notably, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have not been included. The team was selected during a meeting held at MCA’s Sharad Pawar Indoor Academy in Mumbai.
West Zone Squad:
Shardul Thakur (C)
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Aarya Desai
Harvik Desai
Shreyas Iyer
Sarfaraz Khan
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Jaymeet Patel
Manan Hingrajia
Saurabh Nawale
Shams Mulani
Tanush Kotian
Dharmendra Jadeja
Tushar Deshpande
Arzan Nagwaswala
Standbys: Mahesh Pithiya, Shivalik Sharma, Mukesh Chaudhary, Siddharth Desai, Chintan Gaja, Musheer Khan, Urvil Patel
Note: West Zone will begin their campaign directly in the semifinal on September 4, having received a bye from the quarterfinals.
East Zone Led by Ishan Kishan; Shami, Mukesh Among Big Picks
Ishan Kishan has been appointed captain of the East Zone squad, with Abhimanyu Easwaran serving as his deputy. The team includes a formidable pace attack with Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, and Suraj Jaiswal. A total of five Bengal players have been included, making it a Bengal-heavy squad.
East Zone Squad:
Ishan Kishan (C, WK)
Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC)
Sandeep Pattnaik
Virat Singh
Denish Das
Sridam Paul
Sharandeep Singh
Kumar Kushagra (WK)
Riyan Parag
Utkarsh Singh
Manishi
Suraj Jaiswal
Mukesh Kumar
Akash Deep
Mohammed Shami
Standbys: Mukhtar Hussain, Aasirwad Swain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Rahul Singh
Tilak Varma to Lead South Zone in Duleep Trophy 2025
India batter Tilak Varma has been named captain of South Zone for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025, beginning August 28 in Bengaluru. The 15-member squad features a strong core, including four players from Kerala’s Ranji Trophy 2024–25 runner-up team.
Mohammed Azharuddeen will serve as vice-captain and wicketkeeper, alongside key names like Devdutt Padikkal (returning from injury), Tanmay Agarwal, and N Jagadeesan, who is expected to be the first-choice keeper. Star bowlers include R Sai Kishore, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Kerala pacers MD Nidheesh and Basil NP.
Players currently in India’s Test or T20 mix—such as Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, and Prasidh Krishna—have been left out, possibly due to the upcoming Asia Cup in UAE from September 9.
Former India pacer L Balaji will coach the squad, as South Zone prepares to begin its campaign directly in the semifinals on September 4.
South Zone Squad:
Tilak Varma (C), Mohammed Azharuddeen (VC, WK), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, N Jagadeesan (WK), T Vijay, R Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, MD Nidheesh, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Kauthankar
Standbys: Mohit Redkar, R Smaran, Ankit Sharma, Eden Apple Tom, Andre Siddarth, Shaikh Rasheed
Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals: Start on August 28
Semifinals: Start on September 4
Final: Scheduled from September 11
Venue: All matches to be played at BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru
