Ishan Kishan to captain Virat-starrer team in this tournament, Mohammed Shami also included as Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in stand-bys

The East Zone has announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025, with Ishan Kishan named as the new captain. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who captains the India A team and is currently with the national squad on their Test tour of England, will serve as the vice-captain. Duleep Trophy 2025 is set to get underway from August 28.

Ishan Kishan to lead East Zone squad

Easwaran has been on the cusp of his Test debut for years, having toured both Australia and England, but has yet to get a chance to play. He is expected to use the Duleep Trophy as an opportunity to prove his form and cement his place for the domestic season.

Kishan's appointment follows a strong batting performance for Nottinghamshire, which caught the attention of the Indian team management. They had reportedly reached out to the wicketkeeper-batter to replace the injured Rishabh Pant for the fifth Test against England. However, Kishan was also dealing with an injury, leading selectors to call up N. Jagadeeshan for the Oval Test instead.

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Mohammed Shami returns to action

Mohammed Shami, who missed India’s five-match tour of England due to fitness concerns, has been recalled to the East Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The experienced pacer will join his Bengal teammate, Mukesh Kumar, to form a strong fast-bowling partnership for the team.

In other selections, Assam's captain, Riyan Parag, has also been included in the squad. His Rajasthan Royals teammate, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, has been named as one of the stand-bys.

East Zone squad in Duleep Trophy:

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), Akash Deep (Bengal) and Mohammed Shami (Bengal)

Stand-bys: Mukhtar Hussain (Assam), Aasirwad Swain (Odisha), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Bihar), Swastik Samal (Odisha), Sudip Kr Gharami (Bengal) and Rahul Singh (Assam)