Ajit Agarkar is taking part in the final days of the Duleep Trophy after missing the crucial BCCI review meeting

The chairman of the senior selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, attended the Duleep Trophy 2026 final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, three days after he missed the BCCI’s review meeting in Mumbai.

Agarkar was spotted in the stands when South Zone took on East Zone in the final, his first public appearance since his absence from Thursday’s meeting, fueling speculation about his future as chief selector.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said Agarkar is out of town when the meeting was called at short notice and she could not participate virtually in the discussions.

“He was out of station. He could not attend the meeting as this meeting was called at very short notice and our selection committee chief Ajit was out of town so he could not join it. He was in such an area that he could not join online even though we tried,” Saikia told reporters.

Saikia also clarified that there was no discussion about extending Agarkar’s contract during the meeting.

“There was no such discussion in today’s meeting. There was no discussion in the selection committee. All our attention was on the performance in England and Ireland, as well as the recent Test series in Sri Lanka and what we will do in the upcoming series, plus the World Cup, which is our ultimate goal,” he said.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill and T20I captain Shreyas Iyer also attended the meeting.

Agarkar’s presence in Chepauk comes with several Duleep Trophy finalists looking to strengthen their case for India A selection.

India have five ‘A’ Test matches scheduled over the next two months, with Australia visiting India before the team leaves for New Zealand. The Duleep Trophy gives selectors an opportunity to assess players in contention for these assignments.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

06 Sep 2026 16:54 IST