Duleep Trophy 2025: Schedule, Teams, Captains, Venues & Key Details

The Duleep Trophy is set to start from 28 August 2025, marking the start of the domestic red-ball season in India. It is one of India’s most important domestic cricket tournaments and it serves as an important platform for players who aspire to wear the national colours. Named after cricket legend Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji, from Nawanagar. The tournament started in the 1962-62 season and has been an important part of Indian domestic cricket ever since.

The format has undergone many changes throughout the years, but its significance has remained same. It often takes place at the start of India’s domestic red-ball season and gives players crucial match preparation in addition to a fantastic opportunity to attract the attention of national selectors. The current zonal structure includes the North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone, Central Zone, and North East Zone. It also highlights the huge potential of cricket talent in the country. Additionally, it allows emerging cricket states to play with the best, fostering the game’s expansion throughout India. One of the most prominent domestic cricket competitions in India, it serves as a crucial platform for players who aspire to wear the national colors.

Schedule & Venue

Start & End Dates: The Duleep Trophy 2025 will commence on August 28, 2025 and conclude with the final from September 11-15, 2025.

Stadium Details: All matches of the Duleep Trophy 2025 will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, marking the inaugural tournament at this state-of-the-art facility.

BCCI Centre of Excellence Overview-
Location: Outskirts of Bengaluru (near Kempegowda International Airport)
Capacity: Spread across 40 acres with 33 acres utilized
Grounds: Three world-class cricket grounds with 86 pitches in total
Ground A (Main): 85-yard boundary with 13 Mumbai red soil pitches, equipped with advanced floodlighting and broadcasting facilities
Ground B & C: Practice grounds with 75-yard boundaries featuring Mandya soil and Kalahandi black cotton soil pitches

Teams & Captains

*Note: If Shubman Gill is selected for the Asia Cup, Shubham Rohilla will replace him as captain.

Official Squads for Duleep Trophy 2025-

• North Zone (Captain: Shubman Gill; Vice-captain: Ankit Kumar)
  Shubman Gill (c), Ankit Kumar (vc), Shubham Khajuria, 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 (wk)
  
  Standbys: Shubham Rohilla (rep for Gill), Gurnoor Brar (for Arshdeep), Anuj Thakral (for Harshit)
  
• South Zone (Captain: Tilak Varma; Vice-captain: Mohammed Azharuddeen)
  Tilak Varma (c), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vc & wk), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, Narayan Jagadeesan, Tripurana Vijay, R Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, MD Nidheesh, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Kauthankar
  
  Standbys: Mohit Redkar, R Smaran, Ankit Sharma, Edhen Apple Tom, Andre Siddarth, Shaikh Rasheed

• East Zone (Captain: Ishan Kishan; Vice-captain: Abhimanyu Easwaran)
  Ishan Kishan (c & wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Riyan Parag, Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami
  
  Standbys: Mukhtar Hussain, Aasirwad Swain, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Rahul Singh

• West Zone (Captain: Shardul Thakur)
  Shardul Thakur (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harvik Desai (wk), Saurabh Nawale (wk), Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmandrasinh Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala, Aarya Desai
  
  Standbys: —

• Central Zone (Captain: Dhruv Jurel; Vice-captain: Rajat Patidar)
  Dhruv Jurel (c & wk), Rajat Patidar (vc), Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Sanchit Desai, Kuldeep Yadav, Aditya Thakare, Deepak Chahar, Saransh Jain, Ayush Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed
  
  Standbys: Madhav Kaushik, Yash Thakur, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mahipal Lomror, Kuldeep Sen, Upendra Yadav

• North East Zone
  Squad announcement pending/official list TBA.

Key Squad Members by Zone–

• West Zone Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Tanush Kotian
• East Zone Squad: Mohammed Shami (returning after injury), Riyan Parag, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar
• North Zone Squad: Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Yash Dhull, Ayush Badoni, Auqib Nabi
• Central Zone Squad: Kuldeep Yadav, Rajat Patidar (subject to fitness), Mayank Agarwal

Key Players to Watch

Points Table & Format

Tournament Structure:

The 2025 Duleep Trophy follows a knockout format rather than the traditional league system,
Quarter-Finals: Two matches (4 days each)
Semi-Finals: Two matches (4 days each)
Final: One match (5 days)

Qualification System:

South Zone and West Zone are directly seeded into the semi-finals
North Zone vs East Zone (Quarter-Final 1)
Central Zone vs North East Zone (Quarter-Final 2)
Winners advance to face the seeded teams in semi-finals

Past Winners & Stats

Prize Money & Player Earnings

Tournament Prize Money (BCCI 2023 announcement):

• Winners: ₹1 crore
• Runners-up: ₹50 lakh

Player Match Fees (Domestic Cricket):

• 40+ Ranji matches: ₹60,000 per day (playing XI), ₹30,000 (reserves)
• 21-40 matches: ₹50,000 per day (playing XI), ₹25,000 (reserves)
• 20 or fewer matches: ₹40,000 per day (playing XI), ₹20,000 (reserves)

Performance Bonuses:

• Man of the Match: Approximately ₹1 lakh
• Century/Five-wicket hauls: Additional performance incentives
• Player of the Tournament: Enhanced prize money

Detailed Weather & Pitch Conditions

BCCI Centre of Excellence Weather (Late August/Early September):

Temperature: 24-32°C during match hours
Humidity: 60-80% (typical Bengaluru monsoon transition)
Rain Risk: Moderate (subsurface drainage system ensures quick recovery)
Playing Conditions: Generally favorable for cricket

Pitch Characteristics:

Ground A (Main): Mumbai red soil – pace and bounce friendly
Ground B: Mandya soil – balanced for batting and bowling
Ground C: Black cotton soil – might assist spinners as match progresses

Broadcast & Live Streaming Info

Television Coverage- Primary Broadcaster: Sports18 Network
Digital Streaming- Platform: JioCinema/Hotstar

Live Score Platforms-
Cricbuzz.com: Real-time scorecards, ball-by-ball commentary
BCCI.tv: Official updates and match highlights
ESPN Cricinfo: Comprehensive statistics and analysis

Stay tuned for all the latest updates from the Duleep Trophy 2025. Don’t forget to share your predictions in the comments below!