No Place For KL, Siraj, Prasidh In South Zone's Duleep Trophy Squad; Reason Revealed

Several India stars won't play Duleep Trophy [Source: AFP]

India's renowned Test players- KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, B Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar won't likely participate in the upcoming Duleep Trophy season. The South Zone has confirmed its Duleep Trophy squad, with promising batter Tilak Varma set to lead them in the competition. 

Why Were BCCI Contracted Players Not Picked In South Zone Squad?

The South Zone squad comprises match-winners like Tilak, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohammed Azharuddeen, R Sai Kishore and Vyshak Vijaykumar. However, several BCCI contracted players - KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, B Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar - failed to find a place, surprising fans as well as experts. 

It's worth mentioning that the BCCI, in its diktat, has asked the Zonal selectors to prioritise the contracted players for domestic tournaments such as Duleep Trophy. Therefore, the absence of marquee players in the South Zone squad didn't sit well with the apex body. 

However, as reported by Cricbuzz, the South Zone officials have argued that the national selectors have no role to play in Duleep Trophy selections. Furthermore, an official stated that they had to pick several players from Kerala as they performed admirably in the previous Ranji Trophy edition. 

"Kerala had a remarkable season, and their players deserved selection for the Duleep Trophy. If the India players are to be taken into the squad, most Kerala players will not find a place in the zonal side" the official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. 

Therefore, the aforementioned contracted players were deliberately ignored, with the selectors preferring the proven performers to represent the South Zone in the tournament. 

South Zone Squad For Duleep Trophy

Tilak Varma (captain), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vice-captain, wk), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, N Jagadeesan (wk), T Vijay, R Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vyshak Vijaykumar, MD Nidheesh, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Kauthankar

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