India’s Test captain Shubman Gill is set to captain the North Zone team in the Duleep Trophy 2025, kicking off the domestic cricket season. The 25-year-old, fresh from leading India to a 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, where he was the top run-scorer with 754 runs at an average of 75.4, including four centuries, will now showcase his leadership and batting prowess in domestic red-ball cricket. North Zone will face East Zone, led by Ishan Kishan, in the quarter-final match starting August 28, 2025, at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
The North Zone squad includes prominent players like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, both part of India’s recent Test squad in England, alongside Anshul Kamboj, who debuted in the fourth Test at Manchester. Other notable names include Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, and Ankit Kumar, who has been named vice-captain after scoring 574 runs in the previous Ranji Trophy season. The squad also features four players from Jammu & Kashmir—Shubham Khajuria, Sahil Lotra, Yudhvir Singh Charak, and Auqib Nabi—with Abid Mushtaq among the stand-by players.
With the Duleep Trophy overlapping with the T20 Asia Cup (September 9-28, 2025, in the UAE), Gill, Arshdeep, and Rana could miss parts of the tournament if selected for the national team. In such a case, Shubham Rohilla will replace Gill, Gurnoor Brar will step in for Arshdeep, and Anuj Thakral will take Rana’s place. The reserve players include Shubham Arora (wicketkeeper), Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, and Divesh Sharma.
The Duleep Trophy, returning to its traditional six-team zonal format, is a key platform for players to impress selectors ahead of international assignments. North Zone’s campaign begins with the quarter-final against East Zone, with the winner advancing to face South Zone in the semi-final on September 4. The final is scheduled for September 11-15, 2025. Fans can watch the matches live on Sports18 or stream them on JioCinema.
North Zone Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Shubham Khajuria, Ankit Kumar (vice-captain), Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sindhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wicketkeeper).
Stand-by Players: Shubham Arora (wicketkeeper), Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma.
