Mumbai and India pace bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur will lead a star-studded West Zone team in the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The team comprises seven Mumbai players — India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, middle-order batters Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan, pacer Tushar Deshpande, left-arm spinner Shams Mulani and off-spinner Tanush Kotian.
The 15-member West Zone squad was picked by a selection committee headed by Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra-Kurla Complex Academy on Friday.
Sanjay Patil
The 2025-26 domestic season begins with the Duleep Trophy, starting on August 28. West Zone will play the semi-final clash at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence ground in Bengaluru, from August 4.
Thakur, who is on national duty in England currently, claimed 35 wickets and scored 505 runs in the last Ranji Trophy season and Patil wants him to continue in the same vein. “I feel Shardul has good leadership qualities and he can lead the side by example. He had performed well earlier and single-handedly helped Mumbai win matches,” Patil told mid-day on Friday.
Test veteran Ajinkya Rahane, 37, who led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals while scoring 467 runs last season, and Saurashtra’s 37-year-old batter Cheteshwar Pujara (402 runs last season) missed out on a spot in the West Zone squad. “This West Zone team is a good combination of youth and seniors — those who have performed well in the Ranji Trophy last season,” added Patil.
Mumbai’s promising teenaged opener Ayush Mhatre, 18, who has scored 504 runs in nine first-class games, has alo not been picked as he will be leading the India U-19 team against Australia U-19 starting on September 21 at Norths.
Kiran Powar, who is the coach of the Mumbai U-23 team, will be coach of the West Zone team for this tournament.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai senior team’s probables and support staff enjoyed a trekking activity at Naneghat near Kalyan on Friday and will be leaving for Nagpur on Sunday for a 15-day off-season camp.
West Zone’s squad
S Thakur (c), Y Jaiswal, A Desai, H Desai (wk), S Iyer, S Khan, R Gaikwad, J Patel, M Hingrajia, S Nawale (wk), S Mulani, T Kotian, D Jadeja, T Deshpande, A Nagwaswala
