With 19 trophies (the most), West Zone is considered the strongest team in the Duleep Trophy. Now, they are going to be even stronger since star players from Mumbai have announced their availability to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shivam Dube have all expressed their desire to kickstart the domestic season with an appearance in the Duleep Trophy, a tournament that is returning in the usual zonal format again this year.
Shreyas Iyer, who recently took the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to their first Indian Premier League (IPL) final in a decade, has been vacationing in Europe. He even shared some snaps from Spain right after he completed the Mumbai T20 league, where again he lost the final. Having said that, he is now eyeing preparing for a long domestic season. And that would start from a succesful Duleep Trophy, where the West Zone side would comprise of players from Mumbai, Baroda, Gujarat, Saurashtra and Maharashtra.
Shreyas Iyer in action soon
Now, the likes of Iyer and other Mumbai players have confirmed their availability to play in Duleep Trophy. Sarfaraz Khan, who recently grabbed headlines after shedding a lot of weight, will be eager to perform. He was part of India’s home season and even went Down Under but didn’t find an opportunity. The talented middle-order batter was dropped from the Test team in England, and thus would be waiting for his chances yet again in Duleep Trophy.
“Iyer has informed us that he is available to play in the Duleep Trophy. Other players like Sarfaraz, Shivam Dubey and Tushar Deshpande have confirmed their availability,” a source in the MCA told Indian Express.
Duleep Trophy 2025 schedule
The Centre of Excellence was already confirmed as the venue. However, the dates weren’t out before. According to Cricbuzz, South Zone and West Zone have been handed direct qualification into the Duleep Trophy 2025 semifinals. And the two quarterfinals are already set.
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal 1 (North Zone vs East Zone) |
August 28-31 | Centre of Excellence |
| Quarterfinal 2 (Central Zone vs North-East Zone) |
August 28-31 | Centre of Excellence |
| Semifinal 1 | September 4-7 | Centre of Excellence |
| Semifinal 2 | September 4-7 | Centre of Excellence |
| Final | September 11-14 | Centre of Excellence |
The post Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan & Shivam Dube want to play Duleep Trophy, starting August 28 appeared first on Inside Sport India.