Shreyas, Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz in West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy; Shardul to lead

‌Shardul Thakur will lead the West Zone in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025, set to start on August 28 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. The tournament will return to its traditional zonal format once again as it kick starts the Indian domestic cricketing schedule with the Irani Cup and Ranji Trophy to follow.

The Mumbai all-rounder was rewarded for his impressive performances with both bat and ball in the domestic circuit last season. Shardul was Mumbai’s second-highest run-getter and wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy last year. He scored a total of 505 runs, including a century and four fifties, from nine matches at an average of 42.08. With the ball, he had 35 wickets at an average of 22.62 and striking at a frequency of 40.17 balls.

Mumbai were rewarded for their decent run, which saw them reach the semifinal in India’s premier domestic competition last year. Apart from Shardul, the domestic powerhouse had six more players in the West Zone side, including Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan.

All-rounders Tanush Kotian, who was the Player of the Tournament in Mumbai’s victorious Ranji Trophy campaign in the 2023-24 season, and Shams Mulani, who was their top bowler last season, also find their names in the 15-member squad, along with Tushar Deshpande. Shams picked up 44 wickets from nine games and also scored 365 runs for Mumbai last year.

Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad is another prominent name in the side, with five players from Gujarat and two from Saurashtra rounding off the squad. West, along with South Zone, will start their campaign directly in the semifinal on September 4, with both sides benefitting from their appearance in the summit clash in 2023.

West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

Shardul Thakur (c, Mumbai), Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai), Aarya Desai (Gujarat), Harvik Desai (wk, Saurashtra), Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai), Sarfaraz Khan (Mumbai), Ruturaj Gaikwad (Maharashtra), Jaymeet Patel (Gujarat), Manan Hingrajia (Gujarat), Saurabh Nawale (wk, Gujarat), Shams Mulani (Mumbai), Tanush Kotian (Mumbai), Dharmandrasinh Jadeja (Saurashtra), Tushar Deshpande (Mumbai), Arzan Nagwaswala (Gujarat).