Indian pacer Akash Deep is all set to miss playing the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025 season, playing for East Zone. The tournament begins on August 28 in Bengaluru, & the pacer was one of the main players for East Zone, being also named in the 15-member squad. However, with the latest setback, Akash has been replaced by Mukhtar Hussain for the Duleep Trophy.
The news was shared on X by PTI reporter Kushan Sarkar, who posted:
“Some #CricketTwitter news, Akash Deep will not be playing #duleeptrophy. Whether he has been advised to rest by CoE is not clear. The East Zone selection committee has picked Assam's medium pacer Mukhtar Hussain. @BCCI @BCCIdomestic”
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Akash Deep was set to lead the East Zone bowling attack after having a productive five-match Test series against England, where he also picked up a 10-wicket haul and scored a match-winning 50 in the fifth & final Oval Test. Along with the pacer, the East Zone also possessed pacers like Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, and Suraj Jaiswal. Notably, the Board will keep a close tab on Akash on why he wont be available for the Duleep Trophy. Whether it is rest, injury, or a workload issue, the 28-year-old will watch his mates competing in the tournament.
Ishan Kishan to lead East Zone, Abhimanyu Easwaran named deputy
For the unversed, East Zone announced its 15-member squad, with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan named as captain. Abhimanyu Easwaran has been named his deputy. The veteran yet again was snubbed during the five-match Test series against England. However, his huge amount of experience in domestic cricket makes him a pretty good vice-captain of the East Zone side.
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The Duleep Trophy 2025 tournament will be played among six teams. It will also return to its usual six-team zonal format and will kick off the long domestic 2025/26 season. East Zone's first match will be a quarter-final game against North Zone at the BCCI Center of Excellence Ground, with the winner meeting South Zone in the semi-final game.
East Zone Squad
Ishan Kishan (c) (Jharkhand), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc) (Bengal), Sandeep Pattnaik (Odisha), Virat Singh (Jharkhand), Denish Das (Assam), Sridam Paul (Tripura), Sharandeep Singh (Jharkhand), Kumar Kushagra (Jharkhand), Riyan Parag (Assam), Utkarsh Singh (Jharkhand), Manishi (Jharkhand), Suraj Jaiswal (Bengal), Mukesh Kumar (Bengal), Mukhtar Hussain (Assam), Mohammed Shami (Bengal).
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