Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Duleep Trophy final participation depends on Gambhir’s call

Veteran opener KL Rahul, Sri Lankan hero Devdutt Padikkal and seasoned pacer Mohammed Siraj have been asked to play the Duleep Trophy final for South Zone against East Zone starting on September 6 in Chennai.

It is understood that the participation of the captain of the southern zone Tilak Varma, rising sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, who are all in India’s T20I squad, will depend on approval from Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“Rahul, Padikkal and Siraj have no competitive cricket at the moment. The national selectors want every Indian player available to play in the Duleep Trophy final. The trio last played on August 27. The next match will be on September 27 against West Indies in ODIs.”

“Now Padikkal is not part of the ODIs, so he might play the India A series. But if there is a chance, they should play the Duleep final,” a BCCI source privy to the development told PTI on condition of anonymity.

In the case of SooryavanshiKishan and Tilak, that will be coach Gambhir’s prerogative.

“The Indian team will meet in Delhi either on September 9 or 10. If the head coach wants all three to report as per the team’s T20I itinerary, then the trio cannot play. But if the head coach wants them to play the final and report to Delhi on September 10 late in the evening, they can do that too,” the source added.

AGARKAR WATCH DULEEP TROPHY FINAL

While mystery surrounding his upcoming extension remains after he was excused from the all-important BCCI review meeting due to family commitments, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar will be watching the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai.

For now, his contract expires on October 4 and it will be interesting to see if BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia will discuss his extension with him.

BCCI PAY FOR JAPANESE VISAS FOR MAYANK, KARTIK, MOHSIN

BCCI plans to send Mayank Yadav, Kartik Tyagi and left-armer Mohsin Khan to the Asian Games in Japan to help the Indian team in training as bowlers on the specific request of head coach VVS Laxman.

It has been customary for the BCCI to carry bowlers with the net and the trio are proven T20 performers.

“They are not part of the official Indian contingent and will only be there until the Indian men play their first match on September 26, provided the BCCI can secure Japanese visas for them in time for the team’s departure from Delhi on September 20,” the source added.

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Published on:

03 Sep 2026 21:55 IST