Four Kerala players are set to leave the Kerala Cricket League 2025 and join the South Zone team for their Duleep Trophy commitments.
As the South Zone takes part in the semifinal of the Duleep Trophy, the players have started to arrive in Bengaluru for the upcoming match.
Kerala, who reached the Ranji Trophy final last season, has four representatives from the state for South Zone, and MyKhel understands that all of them will be joining the camp on Monday (September 1).
Mohammed Azharuddeen, Salman Nizar, Basil NP and MD Nidheesh – these four Kerala players are part of the South Zone side in the Duleep Trophy.
Azharuddeen, who is captaining Alleppey Ripples in the KCL 2025, was a key player for Kerala last season as he amassed 635 runs for them. Salman Nizar had a stellar season as well, scoring 628 runs last season. On the other hand, Basil NP picked up 16 wickets, whereas Nidheesh had 27 wickets to his name in the Ranji Trophy last season.
Nidheesh, who is known for his pace bowling, has been excellent for his team Thrissur Titans in KCL 2025. The 33-year-old from Kottayam has more than 100 first class wickets and will be hoping to make a mark in the Duleep Trophy for his team.
Salman Nizar will be heading for the South Zone after a blistering knock for Calicut Globstars in the KCL 2025 on Saturday. He scored 86 runs off 26 balls, but that’s not it. Nizar hit 11 sixes of the last 12 balls that he faced, which included a 40-run 20th over. The 28-year-old has been a prolific player for Kerala across formats and was also called up by Chennai Super Kings for a trial.
South Zone’s semifinal will commence from September 4 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence ground in Bengaluru. Azharuddeen is also likely to captain the South Zone side, as the designated captain Tilak Varma may head UAE for Asia Cup duties.
In the quarterfinals of Duleep Trophy 2025, Central Zone have a huge advantage over North East Zone, while North Zone are also in the driver’s seat against East Zone ahead of the final day on Sunday (August 31).