The BCCI announced the squads for the upcoming Duleep Trophy on X (formerly Twitter). This year, the tournament will feature a revamped format, with teams India A, B, C, and D, led by Shubman Gill, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shreyas Iyer, respectively, competing against each other instead of zonal teams.
As the tournament kicks off in Anantapur on September 5, several star Indian players were notably left out of the squads. Here’s a look at five prominent cricketers who were overlooked:
Rinku Singh: After a standout IPL 2023 with Kolkata Knight Riders, Rinku Singh earned his place in the Indian squad, playing two ODIs and 23 T20Is over the past year. With an impressive 3,173 runs in 47 first-class matches at an average of 54.70, his omission from the Duleep Trophy teams is surprising.
Sanju Samson: A key member of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, Sanju Samson has also featured in recent T20Is against Sri Lanka. Despite his extensive experience with 62 first-class matches, he has been left out of the tournament.
Prithvi Shaw: Former India U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw, known for his Test debut century and strong performances for Mumbai, has been in sensational form in the One-Day Cup with Northamptonshire. Yet, he did not make it to the Duleep Trophy squads.
Ravi Bishnoi: Once the world No. 1 T20I bowler, Ravi Bishnoi is considered a future star of Indian spin bowling. However, he was not selected for any of the four teams.
Abhishek Sharma: Abhishek Sharma caught attention with his stellar IPL 2024 performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad and a recent T20I series against Zimbabwe. Despite having 1,071 runs from 24 first-class matches, he did not make the cut.
