East Zone captain Ishan Kishan ruled out of Duleep Trophy 2025

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the upcoming season of the Duleep Trophy. As the domestic tournament returned to its signature zone-based format, Kishan emerged as the captain of East Zone. However, an injury, the details of which remain undisclosed as of yet, has ruled out their leader for the entire tournament. Meanwhile, the East Zone has roped in Aashirwad Swain, an Odisha cricketer, as Kishan's replacement. Moreover, Swastik Samal has also been called up as a standby prospect in the squad.

Abhimanyu Easwaran to lead East Zone in Duleep Trophy as Ishan Kishan misses out with injury

As Ishan Kishan now sits out of the Duleep Trophy proceedings, Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead East Zone in the domestic tournament. Abhimanyu Easwaran was part of the India squad that toured England for the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. However, despite leading the India A squad on the tour, Easwaran didn't get a chance in the Playing XI for any of the five India vs England Tests. The senior pick now returns to the domestic circuit as he gears up to lead East Zone in the Duleep Trophy.

"Odisha’s wicketkeeper-batter Aashirwad Swain has been selected for the East Zone squad in the Duleep Trophy, replacing Ishan Kishan! He joins Sandeep Pattnaik in the squad, while Swastik Samal has been named as standby," read the statement from the Odisha Cricket Association informing about the update.

Ishan Kishan was one of the two players who lost the central contract with the BCCI for non-adherence to playing domestic cricket, the other being Shreyas Iyer. While Iyer has tracked his way back into the Indian set-up, Kishan's return has not been as seamless. The young batter returned to the domestic circuit for Jharkhand and regained his access to the BCCI central contract in the Grade C category, but his inclusion in the Indian national side remains uncertain. The wicketkeeper was last seen in action for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship.

The youngster was touted as the replacement for Rishabh Pant when the wicketkeeper fractured his foot in the fourth India vs England Test at Manchester. However, another update stated that Ishan Kishan was struggling with an ankle injury himself. As Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the final Test against England at The Oval, India called up Narayan Jagadeesan to the squad while Kishan remained out of the scene. Meanwhile, Kishan has posted about his recovery in a post where he was seen at the NCA. The cricketer had written, "Good Healing" in the caption. However, as it stands, the healing has not been completed fully as of now.