Shardul Thakur To Lead West Zone Squad In Duleep Trophy Tournament, Legendary Names Shockingly Dropped: Report

Shardul Thakur, the Indian all-rounder, is all set to lead the West Zone in the Duleep Trophy tournament. The star cricketer has been appointed to leadership duties and will lead the charge of a stacked side in the prestigious tournament.

With big names set to return to the domestic fold once again, the Duleep Trophy becomes an ideal spot to get the selectors' attention with their respective performances. Shardul will have a chance to show his leadership prowess against the other participating teams.

Shardul Thakur To Lead West Zone Squad In Duleep Trophy 

The season for domestic cricket is almost upon us as the Duleep Trophy kicks off the BCCI's first domestic tournament in the 2025-26 season.

The first-class tournament returns to a zonal format, where teams will be picked by the zonal selectors. Excitement will continue with the Ranji Trophy, SMAT and will end with the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy in 2026.

For the West Zone, Shardul Thakur has been named as the captain, as reported by the Indian Express. He has been picked over Shreyas Iyer, who is expected to make his red-ball comeback.

The batter has been critical for Team India in white-ball cricket, having won the Champions Trophy after defeating New Zealand in the final.

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Notable Stars Including Sarfaraz, Jaiswal & Iyer Named In West Zone Squad 

Shardul Thakur would have a stacked line-up of players, including cricketers who represent the Indian Cricket Team in red-ball cricket. Notable names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer are part of the squad.

Star domestic players like Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian will play under Shardul's captaincy in the Duleep Trophy tournament.

However, veterans like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were left out of the West Zone squad, casting dark clouds over their chances in domestic cricket and a possible comeback to the Indian Cricket Team.

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West Zone Squad: Shardul Thakur (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala.

The Duleep Trophy commences on August 28, with the West Zone facing the winner of the playoff on September 04. All matches would take place at the BCCI COE in Bengaluru.