India T20I team trio Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma might or might not play in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026 final between South Zone and East Zone, which will be played in Chennai from September 6 onwards.
The final decision on their participation will reportedly depend on whether India head coach Gautam Gambhir allows them to do so. This comes after a report stated that veteran opener KL Rahul, Sri Lanka series hero Devdutt Padikkal and seasoned pacer Mohammed Siraj have been asked to play the Duleep Trophy final, but not the above-mentioned three players.
This is due to Sooryavanshi, Kishan and Tilak being part of the Indian T20I team that will play the Afghanistan T20I series and will go to Japan for the Asian Games 2026.
“Rahul, Padikkal and Siraj do not have any competitive cricket right now. The national selectors want any Indian player who is available to play the Duleep Trophy final. The trio played last on August 27. The next match they will play is September 27 against the West Indies in the ODIs. Now Padikkal is not a part of ODIs, so he might play the India A series. But Duleep final if there is a chance; they should play," a BCCI source told PTI.
"The Indian team will assemble in Delhi on either September 9 or 10. If the head coach wants all three to report as per the T20I team's itinerary, then the trio can't play. But if the head coach wants them to play the final and report to Delhi on September 10 late evening, they can also do that," the source added.
Meanwhile, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar will be in Chennai to watch the Duleep Trophy final. His current contract expires on October 4. It will be interesting to see if BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia talks to him about extending it.
At head coach VVS Laxman's request, the BCCI intends to send Mayank Yadav, Kartik Tyagi, and left-armer Mohsin Khan to the Asian Games in Japan to assist the Indian team's net bowling practice. The three are established T20 players, and the BCCI has a history of using net bowlers.
"They are not part of the official Indian contingent and will only be there till the Indian men play their first game on September 26, provided the BCCI can arrange for their Japanese visa on time before the team departs from Delhi on September 20," the source added.
(PTI inputs)
