The upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025, commencing on August 28th in Bengaluru, has witnessed a late change as Ishan Kishan will not participate. The East Zone team, for whom Kishan was recently named captain, will now be led by Abhimanyu Easwaran.
The reason behind Kishan’s withdrawal from the tournament remains undisclosed. Ashirbad Swain, a young wicketkeeper-batsman from Odisha, has been brought in as his replacement. The Odisha Cricket Association announced this change through its official channels. Easwaran, who was part of the Indian Test squad during the England tour, will now lead the team.
Swain has played 11 first-class matches, scoring 615 runs at an average of 30.75 in 21 innings, with a top score of 77. He also boasts 32 catches and 3 stumpings. The East Zone will face North Zone in the quarter-finals of the Duleep Trophy, scheduled from August 28th to 31st at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. Shubman Gill will lead the North Zone team.
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: Mukhtar Hussain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudeep Kumar Gharami, and Rahul Singh.