Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara’s careers finished as West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy officially announced

Team India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been named captain of the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025, as confirmed by the zonal selection committee on Friday, August 1. However, experienced Indian batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been left out of the squad.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane last played a Test match for India in 2023. Pujara played a crucial role in India’s Test series victories in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Notably, Rahane captained Team India to a memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in 2020-21 despite several key players being unavailable.

Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara Ignored for West Zone Squad for Duleep Trophy

Shardul Thakur has been named captain of the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which begins on August 28 in Bengaluru. The selectors opted for Thakur’s leadership despite the presence of senior names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

The decision not to appoint Iyer as captain was based on the possibility of his selection for the Asia Cup squad, which starts on September 9. Thakur has been instrumental in Mumbai’s recent Ranji Trophy campaigns, especially with lower-order contributions.

The all-rounder will be joined in the squad by fellow Mumbai players Tanush Kotian, Shams Mulani, and pacer Tushar Deshpande.

Shreyas Iyer Set To Feature As Player For West Zone

Shreyas Iyer had made himself available for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The middle-order batter has played 14 Test matches for India. However, he has not been part of the Test setup since February 2024, when he last featured against England.

Iyer was a key figure in India’s Champions Trophy-winning campaign in Dubai earlier this year. He also scored 480 runs in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy at an average of 68.57, including two centuries. He continued his form into the IPL, where he led Punjab Kings to their first final in over a decade.

PBKS finished runners-up to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), with Iyer scoring 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33, including six fifties. However, the selectors opted not to pick Iyer for the England series, instead rewarding Karun Nair for his strong domestic form.

West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2025:

Shardul Thakur (Capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala.

The 2025-26 Indian domestic cricket season is set to begin with the Duleep Trophy. This year, the Duleep Trophy returns to its traditional zonal format, with teams selected by state selectors from their respective regions. South Zone, the defending champions from the 2023-24 edition, will look to retain their title.

The Ranji Trophy will begin on October 15, 2025. Notably, the tournament will be played in two phases. Phase 1 will run until November 19, and the Elite Phase is scheduled from January 22 to February 1, 2026.

Also read: After Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi gets in another fight; PCB release statement