BCCI had requested all zones to accommodate Indian contracted players in Duleep Trophy squads.
The Indian Express reported that the BCCI emailed a few cricket associations about the non-selection of players under central contracts. According to reports, Abey Kuruvilla, general manager of cricket operations for the BCCI, urged state associations to select strong teams to honor the Duleep Trophy.
"To uphold its prestige and ensure the highest quality of competition, all currently available Indian players must be selected for their respective zonal teams. Requesting the Zonal Convenors to ensure that all the current Indian players who are available to play the Duleep Trophy should be picked," Kuruvilla wrote in an email accessed by The Indian Express.
Sources from the South Zone have said they are staying with the squad they named on July 26, according to a Cricbuzz report. Tilak Varma, the team's captain, is the only player with a BCCI central contract.
Officials have encouraged the board to choose senior players for the India A team instead of letting national selectors meddle in the zonal tournament selection process.
"Kerala qualified for the Ranji Trophy final (for the first time in the competition's 90-edition history) and lost it narrowly. They had a remarkable season, and their players deserved selection for the Duleep Trophy," a South Zone official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
With the South Zone reportedly declining BCCI’s request, players like KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Sai Sudharsan, and Prasidh Krishna, who were already not in the initial squad, are likely to remain out of contention.