KL Rahul, Siraj Dropped From Duleep Trophy Despite BCCI’s Request
Duleep Trophy 2025 faces controversy as South Zone refuses BCCI’s request to pick contracted players like Rahul, Siraj.
The build-up to the Duleep Trophy 2025 has been clouded by a selection controversy. According to reports, South Zone has chosen to ignore the BCCI’s request to include centrally contracted players in their squad.
The board had urged all zones to field their top stars to uphold the prestige of the competition.
However, South Zone stuck with the squad they named on July 26, which includes only one centrally contracted cricketer, captain Tilak Varma. This decision means players like KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Sai Sudharsan, and Prasidh Krishna are set to miss out.
“Selectors Should Not Interfere”
Officials from South Zone have defended their stance, saying national selectors should not interfere in zonal tournaments. Instead, they suggested that India’s top players could be used in India A matches.
A South Zone official told Cricbuzz, “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.”
BCCI’s Push For Stronger Squads
Earlier, The Indian Express reported that the BCCI had written to some state associations about the non-selection of contracted cricketers. In an email, Abey Kuruvilla, BCCI’s general manager (cricket operations), stressed the need to pick the strongest 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,” Kuruvilla wrote.
