The Indian domestic season for the 2025/26 season is set to begin from August 28, where six zonal teams will compete in the Duleep Trophy
Weeks after returning to the Indian playing XI, Shardul Thakur has once again been rewarded for his strong domestic performances for Mumbai over the 2024/25 season.
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Currently with the Indian team in England, he bowling all-rounder is set to lead the West Zone, which is directly qualified to play the semi-final from September 4.
Explore details below.
Shardul Thakur to lead the West Zone in Duleep Trophy 2025
One of the key reasons for Thakur being named as the captain for the West Zone was his consistency throughout the 2024/25 season.
He was an integral part of Mumbai's run to the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy, contributing with both bat and ball.
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With the ball, he was their second-highest wicket-taker with 35 scalps in 9 matches at an average of 22.62 and a strike rate of 40,17.
Batting lower down the order, Thakur scored 505 runs in 12 innings at an average of 42.08. His four fifties and a top score of 119 helped him get an India call-up after missing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2025
Shardul will have the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Ruturaj Gaikwad among India stars to help him with the West Zone.
Notably, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara from the same zone have not been picked for the tournament.
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Shardul Thakur (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingarajia, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala.
Notably, a few days ago, young left-handed batter Tilak Varma was also named as the captain of South Zone for the tournament.