The Duleep Trophy 2025 is all set to begin with a fresh wave of excitement as Team India’s rising star Shubman Gill has been named captain of the North Zone side. Gill, who recently impressed in the Test series against England, will lead a strong squad that also features Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh and talented quick Harshit Rana.
Replacements Named Due to Busy India Schedule
With India’s international commitments continuing through the season, the North Zone selectors have wisely named replacements for players who might not be available during the tournament.
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Shubham Rohilla will step in for Shubman Gill,
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Gurnoor Brar will replace Arshdeep Singh, and
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Anuj Thakral comes in for Harshit Rana.
Additionally, seven standby players have been named to ensure squad depth and flexibility throughout the tournament.
Quarterfinal Clash vs East Zone
North Zone will begin their Duleep Trophy 2025 campaign with a quarterfinal clash against East Zone, scheduled to be played from August 28 to 31 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru.
Gill’s Previous Duleep Trophy Performance
Shubman Gill has prior experience in this tournament. He featured in the 2024 Duleep Trophy, where he led India A against India B in the opening match. Although Gill’s side lost by 76 runs, the young captain showed promise with scores of 25 (43) and 21 (35) in his two innings.
Revival of Zonal Format
The BCCI has reverted to the traditional zonal format for the Duleep Trophy, allowing six regional teams to compete:
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North
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South
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East
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West
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Central
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North East
This return to the original structure provides greater opportunities for emerging talents across India and ensures fair representation from each cricketing zone.
Gill who is 25 years old had a good Test series against England, he was the top run-scorer with 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40. He scored four centuries in the series.
In domestic cricket Gill has also captained Punjab in Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament but his captaincy was short lived. He led Punjab in two matches of Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, the team won one match and lost the other under his leadership. Earlier this year Gill captained Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025. The team reached Eliminator but lost to Mumbai Indians (MI)
North Zone Squad
Shubman Gill, Shubham Rohilla, Ankit Kumar, Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sindhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Gurnoor Brar, Anuj Thakral, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan.
