Before the international season starts, it’s likely that veteran players like Rohit, Kohli, Bumrah, and Ashwin will miss the competition.
The teams for India’s season-opening Duleep Trophy, which takes place on September 5, will be chosen later this month by the selection panel headed by Ajit Agarkar, without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah. The majority of the other centrally contracted players, nevertheless, will participate in the four-team tournament.
KL Rahul, who was injured and missed four of the five England Test matches earlier this year, and Rishabh Pant, who may play in his first red-ball match after fully recovering from a vehicle accident in December 2022, are two players that will be being monitored.Rajat Patidar, Suryakumar Yadav, Sarfaraz Khan, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are some of the other specialized batters that could be selected from among the four teams.
As Mohammed Shami approaches full fitness, it’s also possible that he’ll be required to participate in one of the games to demonstrate his suitability for the game. Over the past week, Shami has gradually increased his workload as a bowler while undergoing his final phases of rehabilitation at the NCA in Bengaluru. Over the next five months, India will play ten Test matches, five at home and five in Australia. Prior to the first match, a two-Test series against Bangladesh, which begins in Chennai on September 19, the senior players will have a longer vacation.
The decision to include multiple contractual players in the league aligns with the BCCI’s objective of prioritising domestic cricket. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lost their central contracts after missing certain Ranji Trophy matches right before the IPL, according to a letter secretary Jay Shah sent out in February threatening “severe implications” if the IPL was given priority over domestic cricket.
The Duleep Trophy was originally a zonal competition chosen by a convener from each of the six zones (North, South, East, West, Central, and North-East). However, prior to this season, the format was altered at the suggestion of a BCCI working group that included Agarkar, former head coach Rahul Dravid, NCA chief VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, and BCCI general manager Abey Kuruvilla.
This was done, in part, to make sure the selectors could provide adequate opportunities for players in the targeted group as well as players from a larger pool before India’s Test season begins.The four-team competition is scheduled to begin on September 22 and will feature round-robin play between each club and the other three. The winner will be the topping at the conclusion of the standings.
