BCCI reprimands state association for leaving out KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj from Duleep Trophy squad

The South Zone squad for the upcoming edition of the Duleep Trophy has drawn the BCCI’s ire. Played after the Buchi Babu Trophy, the Duleep Trophy marks the start of the Indian domestic season. While domestic cricket has always been an integral cog in Indian cricket, participation in the cycle has been made essential in recent times. The BCCI has repeatedly made it clear that any player who wishes to break into the national team needs to feature in domestic tournaments. Against this backdrop, South Zone’s decision to leave out key players like Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul from the upcoming Duleep Trophy squad has not gone down well with the board.

The BCCI has reacted to the absence of several senior international players, including KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj, from the South Zone squad named for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The board has formally reminded all state associations to ensure that centrally contracted players are given priority when squads are picked for the domestic season-opener.

The controversy began when South Zone announced its squad on July 27, leaving out Rahul, Siraj, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, and Sai Sudharsan, despite their availability during the off-season. The move has upset the board, which views the Duleep Trophy, scheduled to start on August 28 in Bengaluru, as an important stage for both domestic performers and national team regulars.

Reports have revealed that in an email sent to state units, BCCI’s general manager of cricket operations, Abey Kuruvilla has stressed the need to protect the tournament’s stature. The GM has clarified the importance of involving all eligible India players in the domestic squads. According to the report, the communication made it clear that the presence of top-level talent was vital to maintaining the competitiveness of the event.

“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. “Requesting the Zonal Convenors to ensure that all the current Indian players who are available to play the Duleep Trophy should be picked.”

This stance aligns with the board’s long-standing policy requiring international players to feature in domestic cricket whenever available. Earlier this year, the BCCI had already reminded centrally contracted cricketers not to prioritise the IPL over the first-class calendar, a message that was reinforced following the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Whether South Zone will alter its squad in light of the directive remains uncertain. At present, Tilak Varma leads a side lacking the notable internationals. In contrast, players such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Shreyas Iyer are expected to turn out for their respective zones.