Shardul Thakur to Lead West Zone in Upcoming Duleep Trophy

India and Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been appointed captain of the West Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, scheduled for September. The 15-member squad features several notable names including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, and Sarfaraz Khan, reflecting a strong Mumbai presence.

KEY SQUAD HIGHLIGHTS

- Seven players from Mumbai have been selected in the main squad.

- The batting lineup includes India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal along with middle-order batters Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan.

- Ruturaj Gaikwad strengthens the middle order.

- Wicketkeeping duties will be shared between Harvik Desai from Saurashtra and Saurabh Nawale from Maharashtra.

- Rising star Musheer Khan is listed among the seven standby players.

Notably, experienced campaigners Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have not been named in the squad.

RETURN TO ZONAL FORMAT

The Duleep Trophy will serve as the opening tournament of the 2025–26 domestic cricket season and marks a return to the traditional six-team zonal format. Last year, the competition was held with four teams labeled India A, B, C, and D, selected by the national panel. This season, team selection has been handed back to the respective state selectors.

In the 2023–24 edition, South Zone clinched the title when the tournament was last played in a zonal format. Both South Zone and West Zone will directly enter the semifinals, which are scheduled to be held in Bengaluru.

WEST ZONE SELECTION COMMITTEE

The West Zone squad was chosen by a panel consisting of:

Sanjay Patil (Mumbai)

Prayan Dave (Baroda)

Akshay Darekar (Maharashtra)

Sandip Maniyar (Saurashtra)

Kirat Damani (Gujarat)

Abhay Hadap, Secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association, served as the convener of the selection meeting.

WEST ZONE SQUAD FOR DULEEP TROPHY 2025

MAIN SQUAD

Shardul Thakur (Captain, Mumbai)

Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai)

Aarya Desai (Gujarat)

Harvik Desai (Wicketkeeper, Saurashtra)

Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai)

Sarfaraz Khan (Mumbai)

Ruturaj Gaikwad (Maharashtra)

Jaymeet Patel (Gujarat)

Manan Hingrajia (Gujarat)

Saurabh Nawale (Wicketkeeper, Maharashtra)

Shams Mulani (Mumbai)

Tanush Kotian (Mumbai)

Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (Saurashtra)

Tushar Deshpande (Mumbai)

Arzan Nagwaswala (Gujarat)

STANDBY PLAYERS

Mahesh Pithiya (Baroda)

Shivalik Sharma (Baroda)

Mukesh Choudhary (Maharashtra)

Siddharth Desai (Gujarat)

Chintan Gaja (Gujarat)

Musheer Khan (Mumbai)

Urvil Patel (Gujarat)