Duleep Trophy Final: Emerging Stars Shine Amidst Departing India A Players

The initial two rounds of the Duleep Trophy at the BCCI CoE grounds, located on the city’s outskirts, lacked excitement and momentum. With matches played behind closed doors and the tournament’s legacy waning in significance, the encounters on batsman-friendly pitches often seemed lackluster.

As the grand final between South Zone and Central Zone approaches on Thursday, the absence of key players has somewhat diminished the event’s grandeur. N. Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal from South Zone will be unavailable, having been selected for the India ‘A’ team to compete against Australia ‘A’. Similarly, Central Zone will miss the services of pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Thakur, along with all-rounder Harsh Dubey. Additionally, Manav Suthar, who wasn’t in the XI during the semifinal against West Zone, will also be on India ‘A’ duty.

With Jagadeesan absent, South Zone’s captain Mohammed Azharuddeen is expected to take over wicketkeeping duties. Reflecting on the situation, Azharuddeen, who scored only 11 runs in the high-scoring semifinal against North Zone, expressed his contentment with Jagadeesan’s and Devdutt’s selection, acknowledging their consistent performances.

The Central Zone will be without Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Thakur as they depart for national duties, as highlighted in a photo by PTI.

Azharuddeen noted, “I am really happy for them, as Jaggi (Jagadeesan) has been performing excellently over the past two to three years.”

With nearly 2,300 runs amassed in the two matches held at the BCCI CoE Ground (1) so far, another high-scoring affair is anticipated. The game plan remains straightforward—aim to score big. “We are playing with seven batters, which is advantageous because Bengaluru pitches typically benefit batters. We want to keep it simple: whether we bat first or second, our goal is to post a massive score,” Azharuddeen explained.

Published on September 10, 2025.