The Duleep Trophy 2025, a significant domestic cricket tournament in India, is set to commence on August 28th in Bengaluru, featuring six teams. However, the East Zone team has faced an unexpected hurdle with the withdrawal of Ishan Kishan, their newly appointed captain. The reason for Kishan’s absence is yet to be disclosed.
Kishan’s replacement is Ashirbad Swain, a 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Odisha, as confirmed by the Odisha Cricket Association. In a surprising move, Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was part of the Indian Test squad during the recent England tour but didn’t get a chance to play, has been named the captain of the East Zone. Easwaran’s appointment marks a significant shift in leadership for the team.
Ashirbad Swain’s performance in first-class cricket includes 615 runs in 21 innings at an average of 30.75, with a highest score of 77 and three half-centuries. He also has 32 catches and 3 stumpings to his name. The East Zone team will begin their campaign in the quarter-finals against North Zone from August 28th to 31st at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. The North Zone team will be led by Shubman Gill.
East Zone Squad:
Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ashirbad Swain (wicketkeeper), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Danish Das, Sreejan Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Riyan Parag, Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Mohammad Shami.
Standby Players: Mukhtar Hussain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudeep Kumar Gharami, and Rahul Singh.