Duleep Trophy 2024 Squad: Which Two Teams Will Play the Finals?
The Duleep Trophy 2024 season is all set to commence on September 5 and the last match of the first round will take place on September 19. Duleep Trophy also starts the domestic season of the red-ball format in Indian cricket. The tournament has a very rich history.
Started in the year 1961-62, the tournament has seen many big players proving their worth, living the expectations of fans, playing with pride, and giving their sweat and blood on the field. It comes under the category of first-class cricket and grabs the attention of fans as well as the selectors. Each test match lasts for 4 days. BCCI, this time, divided the players into 4 teams named Team A, Team B, Team C, and Team D. Each team will play a match against each other making it 6 matches in the first round.
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Duleep Trophy 2024 Schedule
| Date | Matches | Venue | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2024 | India A vs India B | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore | 9:30 IST |
| 5 September 2024 | India C vs India D | Rural Development Trust Stadium “A”, Ananthapur | 9:30 IST |
| 12 September 2024 | India A vs India D | Rural Development Trust Stadium “A”, Ananthapur | 9:30 IST |
| 12 September 2024 | India B vs India C | Rural Development Trust Stadium “B”, Ananthapur | 9:30 IST |
| 19 September 2024 | India B vs India D | Rural Development Trust Stadium “B”, Ananthapur | 9:30 IST |
| 19 September 2024 | India A vs India C | Rural Development Trust Stadium “A”, Ananthapur | 9:30 IST |
Duleep Trophy 2024 Format
BCCI tried something new this time and modified the pre-existing structure of the tournament for this Duleep Trophy 2024 Season. The four teams will face each other once in the first round and the top 2 teams will play the final.
Duleep Trophy 2024 Squad Analysis
The four teams look excellent on paper with some big names in the squad who have a point to prove. Some will try to make a name for themselves, some are waiting for their redemption. Let’s have a look at the teams and their strengths and weaknesses:
Team A
Shubman Gill (C), Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat.
Strengths
Team A has some big names and quality players in the squad. The top order looks packed with Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, and Tilak Verma. The middle order looks dominant featuring Riyan Parag, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, and Dhruv Jurel. The all-round ability of Dube, Tilak, and Parag will play a vital role as the fifth bowler. The fast bowling unit includes names such as Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep.
Kaverappa is a great addition to Team A. These players have been regular members of their state and have done a commendable job in leading the pace attack. The spin attack will be led by Kuldeep Yadav, perhaps the best spinner in world cricket right now. He will be joined by Tanush Kotian who has done a good job for the Mumbai domestic team.
Weaknesses
The spin department lacks any game-changing bowler other than Kuldeep Yadav. On turning tracks, the team might feel the lack of an attacking spin bowler. The only weakness in the fast bowling department is the inexperience of the bowlers on the international circuit in red ball format.
Overall, the team looks like a dominating one and a favorite to win the tournament.
Team B
Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK).
Strengths
The top order of this team can take the game away in a session or two. The resilience of Abhimanyu Easwaran joined by the fearless and dominating cricket of Jaiswal will be a headache for any opponent team. The middle order features Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and Musheer Khan. The all-around ability of Washington Sundar is not unknown to anyone. It will be a big opportunity for him to prove his worth again.
The pace bowling attack is quite a balanced one with the experience of Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Mohit Awasthi, and Yash Dayal. They have been performing regularly at the domestic level. The spin duo Rahul Chahar and R Sai Kishore will be hard to tackle. Sai is one of the finest left-arm spinner in the domestic circuit who will look to impress everyone with his bowling ability.
Weaknesses
The release of Ravindra Jadeja and the exclusion of Mohd. Siraj will be a big blow for the team. The two could have turned the match single-handedly. The fitness of Nitish Kumar Reddy will be a concern for the team. Same as Team A inexperience at the senior level could be an area of concern in the fast bowling department.
Overall, the team looks decent and could go on to pick the trophy.
Team C
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier
Strengths
The top order looks good and a balanced one with Ruturaj taking charge of captain as well. He will be joined by Sai Sudarsan who recently scored a century in the county match played in England. The experience of Suryakumar Yadav in the red ball in the domestic circuit will be a vital one. He will look to prove the selectors wrong for the exclusion from the senior team.
The middle order will be taken care of by Rajat Patidar, Abhishek Porel, and Baba Indrajith who can bat and perform well in critical situations. The fast bowling department will see Sandeep Warrier, Anshul Khamboj, and Vijaykumar going full attack against the opposition. The spin department will be handled by Manav Suthar and Markande.
Weaknesses
Rajat Patidar did not look very effective in his debut series against England. Also, the inexperience and lack of match practice of middle-order batsmen will be a tough challenge for Team C. The team, heavily dependent on top order, would love to have one of the top order batters continue to bat with confidence and resilience throughout. The bowling attack, spin, and pace, appear on the weaker side. It will take something extraordinary for them to pick 20 wickets.
Overall, the team can upset a team or two in the tournament. It will depend on the captaincy and batting skills of captain Ruturaj.
Team D
Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar.
Strengths
The top order looks decent with Taide and Padikkal taking charge. It would be interesting to see Iyer at 3 whose role will be vital in the team going forward in the tournament. The middle order will need Axar Patel, Ricky Bhui, Ishan Kishan, and Yash Dubey to take charge and provide support to the top order. The pace battery looks good with the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Tushar Deshpande, and Harshit Rana.
Akash Sengupta has the perfect opportunity to learn from experienced bowlers and use it for his team. The left-arm spin bowler Saurabh Kumar will be eyeing for many big wickets this season. His records in the domestic season speak volumes about him.
Weaknesses
The team hardly has many experienced players. The middle order looks fragile even with the inclusion of Ishan. Lack of red ball match practice may prove fatal for him. The pace bowling attack will be led by the youngsters who may collapse under pressure. The spin department lacks a good bowler other than Saurabh.
Overall, winning the tournament will be an Achilles’ heel for them.
Duleep Trophy 2024 Favourites
On paper, Team A and Team B are the tough competitors, unless they bottle any match and one of them is most likely to win the Duleep Trophy 2024.
Duleep Trophy 2024 Streaming
The matches of the Duleep Trophy 2024 will be streaming live on Jio Cinema and the Sports 18 network.
