The prestigious Duleep Trophy, starting on September 5, is the curtain-raiser for yet another packed 2024-25 domestic cricket season in India. It is not only a hallmark of Indian domestic cricket but also a vital platform for players to exhibit their talent, as several international fixtures will be held later this season.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India Secretary Jay Shah expressed his excitement, extending his best wishes to all the participants. In a message shared on social media, Shah once again spoke of the significance of the red-ball cricket, terming it the purest form of cricket. He said that starting the season with such a prestigious tournament signifies how important the preparation for an upcoming choc-a-block red-ball calendar is going to be for Team India.
This season, therefore, the Duleep Trophy is carrying greater importance with a round-robin tournament between four teams: India A, India B, India C, and India D. The zonal structure in which the Duleep Trophy was organized has been done away with and the team that gains the most points at the end would be the winner.
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While Shubman Gill of India A, Abhimanyu Easwaran of India B, Ruturaj Gaikwad of India C, and Shreyas Iyer of India D are set to lead from the front in their respective teams, the stage would once again be set for a very competitive tournament.
The 2024-25 Domestic season is set to kick off tomorrow with the prestigious Duleep Trophy! It’s an exciting start as four teams, featuring some of the finest longer format cricketers in the country will go head to head.
With a packed red ball calendar ahead for Team India,… pic.twitter.com/HPSSSwau6o
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) September 4, 2024
The tournament will be played across three venues: Rural Development Trust Stadium and ACA ADCA Ground in Anantapur of Andhra Pradesh, and the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the curtain-raiser between India A and India B.
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While Shah had underscored the requirement to have centrally contracted players in domestic tournaments, a number of top stars such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin have been left out to work-load manage them for India’s choc-a-bloc Test calendar with the Bangladesh series and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in the coming months.
The Duleep Trophy this time around promises to kick off the season with some thrilling red-ball cricket, finally allowing emerging talents to make their mark.
