Ahead of the Duleep Trophy 2025, a controversy has arisen as the South Zone has reportedly ignored the BCCI’s request to select centrally-contracted players for the tournament.
The Indian board had asked all zones to accommodate these stars in the domestic competition, but the South Zone has decided against it. As a result, players like KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Sai Sudharsan, and Prasidh Krishna, who were already not in the initial squad, are likely to remain out of the team.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, sources from the South Zone have stated they are sticking with the team they announced on July 26. The only centrally-contracted player on the team is their captain, Tilak Varma.
Officials have clarified that national selectors should not interfere in the selection process for zonal tournaments and have advised the board to select senior players for the India A team instead.
“Kerala qualified for the Ranji Trophy final (for the first time in the competition’s 90-edition history) and lost it narrowly. They had a remarkable season, and their players deserved selection for the Duleep Trophy,” a South Zone official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Earlier, according to The Indian Express, the BCCI had sent an email to some cricket associations regarding the non-selection of centrally-contracted cricketers. Abey Kuruvilla, the BCCI’s general manager (cricket operations), reportedly asked the state associations to give the Duleep Trophy the respect it deserves by picking strong squads.
“To uphold its prestige and ensure the highest quality of competition, it’s imperative that all currently available India players are selected for their respective zonal teams. Requesting the Zonal Convenors to ensure that all the current India players who are available to play Duleep Trophy should be picked,” Kuruvilla wrote in an email accessed by The Indian Express.