NEW DELHI: The 2025–26 Indian home cricket season will kick off with the Duleep Trophy, scheduled to begin on August 28 and run until September 15. Serving as a crucial preparatory tournament ahead of India’s long home Test season, the red-ball event will mark the return of the traditional zonal format after last year’s deviation to a four-team structure selected directly by the national selectors.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In the revived format, teams will compete under their zonal banners — North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone, Central Zone, and North East Zone. The opening fixtures will see North Zone face East Zone and Central Zone take on North East Zone in the quarter-finals. South Zone and West Zone, who were the finalists in the last zonal edition in 2023, have earned direct entry into the semi-finals.
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Do you believe the return to a zonal format will enhance the competition in the Duleep Trophy?
The tournament will be hosted primarily at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, ensuring consistent playing conditions and reducing logistical challenges. This centralised venue choice is expected to provide ideal facilities for both players and support staff, with pitches designed to aid competitive red-ball cricket.The Duleep Trophy, long regarded as a testing ground for domestic talent on the cusp of national selection, is likely to feature several India A and fringe Test players eager to impress ahead of the high-profile Test assignments lined up for the season. With the return of zonal rivalries and a condensed, high-intensity schedule, the competition promises a mix of tradition, talent, and high stakes as India’s cricket calendar gets underway.
Duleep Trophy 2025: Complete Schedule, Date and Venue
| Dates | Teams | Venue | |
| Quarter-final 1 | August 28-31, 2025 | North Zone vs East Zone | BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru |
| Quarter-final 2 | August 28-31, 2025 | Central Zone vs North East Zone | BCCI COE Ground 2, Bengaluru |
| Semi-final 1 | September 4-7, 2025 | South Zone vs Winner QF1 | BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru |
| Semi-final 2 | September 4-7, 2025 | North Zone vs Winner QF2 | BCCI COE Ground 2, Bengaluru |
| Final | September 11-15, 2025 | Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 | BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru |
Duleep Trophy 2025 Full Squads
South Zone squad: Tilak Varma (c), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vc), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, Narayan Jagadeesan, Tripurana Vijay, R Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Nidheesh MD, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Kauthankar.East Zone squad: Ishan Kishan (c), 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.West Zone squad: Shardul Thakur (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wicket-keeper), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmandrasinh Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan NagwaswalaNorth Zone squad: Shubman Gill (c), Shubham Khajuria, Ankit Kumar (vc), Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sandhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan.Central Zone squad: Dhruv Jurel (c/wk), Rajat Patidar, Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Sanjeet Desai, Kuldeep Yadav, Aditya Thakare, Deepak Chahar, Saransh Jain, Ayush Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel AhmedNorth East Zone squad: Yet to be announced