The Zonal selection committee, on Friday, August 1, has named Shardul Thakur as the captain of the West Zone squad for the forthcoming Duleep Trophy 2025.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Harvik Desai, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are among the team's standout players, but the selection committee wanted Mumbai's bowling all-arounder Thakur to captain the team.
The selection committee decided not to name Shreyas Iyer captain because they thought he might be chosen in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup, which is set to start on September 9. In Bengaluru, the Duleep Trophy is set to begin on August 28.
Two notable exclusions from the star-studded West Zone team were Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Rahane and Pujara, who were key members of the Indian Test team in the 2010s, have not participated in international red-ball cricket in a long time. The exclusion from the West Zone team for the Duleep Trophy might be the end of their hopes for a Test return.
Ajinkya Rahane is concentrating on his YouTube career, while Pujara is now providing commentary on the India vs. England Test series. Last season, the players participated in the Ranji Trophy.
For the past several years, Thakur has been a key component of Mumbai's Ranji success. He's been making contributions with the bat and the ball. Over the last two seasons, where Mumbai has been bailed out from runs from the lower-order, Thakur has had a lead role to play alongside Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani.
The two also join Thakur on the West Zone team, which also includes pacer Tushar Deshpande.
Iyer had previously stated that he was available to participate in the Duleep Trophy. Iyer has played in 14 Test matches for India, scoring five fifties and one century. However, he hasn't participated in the longest format internationally since a match against England in February 2024.
The Duleep Trophy will take place on August 28, 2025, to kick off the domestic season of 2025–2026. The Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy will take place on April 3, 2026.
The Ranji Trophy season is scheduled to start on October 15 and run in two phases: Phase 1 will go till November 19, and Phase 2 (Elite) will run from January 22, 2026, to February 1.
The Duleep Trophy is back in the zonal format this season. The state selectors choose the squads from their respective zones. When the Duleep Trophy was awarded in the 2023–24 season, South Zone became victorious.
West Zone squad:
Shardul Thakur (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (WK), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala.
