The Duleep Trophy, the premier domestic cricket tournament in India, is set to kick off the 2024/25 season with a star-studded lineup. The tournament, scheduled from September 5 to 24 in Anantapur, will feature top Indian players, excluding Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Shubhman Gill, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shreyas Iyer will lead the four squads in the tournament. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has emphasized that the absence of Rohit and Virat is due to workload concerns, as they will be preparing for the upcoming home Test series against Bangladesh.
Shah stressed that injured players aiming to return to the national team must prove their fitness through domestic cricket. He cited the example of Ravindra Jadeja, who returned to the team after playing for Saurashtra. However, Shah believes it is unnecessary to burden Rohit and Virat with domestic cricket, as they are already facing a heavy workload.
“We have been little strict. When Ravindra Jadeja had got injured, I was the one who called him and asked him to play a domestic game. It’s certain now, whoever gets injured and goes out, can only come into the Indian team after proving his fitness in domestic cricket. But it doesn’t make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s load by asking them to play domestic cricket. They run the risk of getting injured. You also need to look at England and Australia. None of their top players play domestic cricket. We must treat our players respectfully and not treat them like servants,” Shah said.
The Duleep Trophy will provide an opportunity for young and emerging players to showcase their talent and stake a claim for a spot in the national team. The tournament will also serve as a platform for players returning from injury to regain match fitness and form.
