IND vs BAN: Ishan Kishan makes last-minute entry in Duleep trophy after fans drill BCCI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stunned one and all with its surprising decision to include Ishan Kishan in the India C squad minutes before the start of the second game of the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024 against India B.

Ishan Kishan made a last-minute entry into India C playing XI for their Duleep Trophy 2024 match against India B in Anantapur on Thursday, September 12, replacing Aryan Juyal in the lineup.

BCCI surprises all by including Ishan Kishan in the India C squad in the last minute

Surprisingly, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter found himself in the India C playing XI for their second-round clash, despite originally being named in the India D squad by the BCCI.

The twist comes just days after the BCCI announced in their press release that India C was the only team among the four participating teams with no changes to their lineup for the second game in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024.

India C - Playing XI #IndBvIndC #DuleepTrophy pic.twitter.com/tfo3irtfzG

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 12, 2024

Yet, without any official announcement or explanation, Kishan's name shockingly appeared in the India C lineup, raising questions about the BCCI’s move. This sudden switch has left fans and experts baffled, sparking speculation about what might have led to this unexpected move.

Ishan Kishan missed Duleep Trophy 2024 match due to groin injury

Earlier, the BCCI had said that Ishan was ruled out of the first Duleep Trophy 2024 match for India D due to a groin injury that he suffered while playing for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament. He was later replaced by Sanju Samson in the India D squad.

The BCCI had said in a media release: “Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the first round of the Duleep Trophy due to a groin injury sustained during the ongoing All-India Buchi Babu Tournament. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring his condition and working towards ensuring a swift recovery.”

Ishan, who had made an impressive return to red-ball cricket with a century in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament, is now playing for India C in the second game of the red-ball tournament despite not being named in any of the four squads for the match.

Well, the latest drama raised some serious questions on the board’s call, as if the talented left-hander was injured, then how can he recover in a couple of days to play in the match since he was not named in the squads for the second round of the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024?

Whether BCCI took the call because of the pressure of Ishan’s inclusion in the tournament? Fans were strongly slamming the board for continuously overlooking the cricketer despite performing well in domestic cricket. Notably, he was already dropped from the BCCI’s central contracts and lost his place in the Indian team across the formats.

Here are the Playing XI for the Duleep Trophy 2024 match:

India C Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ishan Kishan, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Baba Indrajith, Abishek Porel(w), Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Mayank Markande, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Sandeep Warrier

India B Playing XI: Abhimanyu Easwaran(c), N Jagadeesan(w), Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Rinku Singh, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar