Duleep Trophy 2025 is all set to get underway from August 28 and will see several prominent capped Indian stars in action. The domestic red-ball tournament will commence with North Zone, led by captain Shubman Gill, taking on East Zone, captained by Ishan Kishan, in the opening match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
Duleep Trophy 2025 coincides with Asia Cup 2025 (which begins on September 9), which means some of the players could leave the tournament halfway to take part in the 8-nation tournament in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Let’s take a look at some of those players who could potentially end their stints for their respective teams early.
5 players who can leave Duleep Trophy to play Asia Cup
1. Shubman Gill
After impressing in his very first series as the new Indian Test captain, the Punjab batter has now been named as the North Zone skipper. While he is certain to lead the side in the Duleep Trophy opener against East Zone, Gill may perhaps play just one game. Earlier this week, reports stated that Shubman is all set to return to T20Is after over a year and is expected to be named in the Asia Cup squad. Keeping in mind the possibility of Gill leaving North Zone early for national duty, the selectors have named Shubham Rohilla as his replacement in such a case.
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Like Gill, Jaiswal is also reportedly set to return to T20Is for the first time since July 2024 and is expected to be named in India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. The southpaw is a part of West Zone, who will play the Duleep Trophy semi-final directly between September 4-7.
3. Arshdeep Singh
India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is Arshdeep Singh has been named as a part of North Zone’s squad for Duleep Trophy. With 99 wickets to his name, the southpaw is the spearhead of the pace attack for the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game. Hence, it won’t come as any surprise if he cuts short his stint for the North Zone and join the Indian team for Asia Cup. The selectors have named Gurnoor Brar as his replacement.
4. Shreyas Iyer
Another batter who is primed to make his return to T20Is is Shreyas Iyer. The Mumbai batter, who is a part of Shardul Thakur’s West Zone, is reportedly tipped to make his return to the shortest format of the game for the first time since December 2023. Despite remaining out-of-favour of the national selectors, Iyer has managed to turn the tide and impress them with consistent performances in domestic tournaments and the IPL.
5. Harshit Rana
Another North Zone player who could cut short his Duleep Trophy stint could be Delhi’s Harshit Rana. The pacer has played only one T20I so far, which came earlier this year in January against England. While there is no guarantee that he is a sure pick in the playing XI, the selectors might want to take him along with the rest of the Asia Cup squad as a back-up.
