South Zone has been obliged to make leadership and squad changes ahead of their Duleep Trophy 2025 semi-final match against North Zone. Mohammed Azharuddeen, the wicketkeeper-batsman, will lead the team after Tilak Varma, the initial captain, withdrew due to his selection in India’s Asia Cup squad. The semi-finals start on September 4 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Varma, the South Zone captain, was called up to represent India in the impending Asia Cup, hence he was unable to compete in the Duleep Trophy.
Meanwhile, Azharuddeen, previously named vice-captain, has been handed the job of guiding the team.
Furthermore, Narayan Jagadeesan of Tamil Nadu has been promoted as vice captain.
South Zone has also had to deal with the absence of Tamil Nadu spinner R Sai Kishore, who is yet to recover from a finger injury sustained during a club match in Chennai. The injury had previously kept him out of the pre-season Buchi Babu Trophy.
Ankit, Rasheed added to South Zone squad
Notably, South Zone has brought in Puducherry’s experienced all-rounder Ankit Sharma and Andhra’s young top-order batter Shaik Rasheed as replacements for Tilak and Kishore. Both players were originally listed as standbys and now get the opportunity to feature in the squad.
In the 2024-25 Ranji season, he picked up 24 wickets in seven matches at 28.95, while also contributing with the bat, scoring 216 runs. On the other hand, Rasheed is among the most promising young batters in the domestic circuit. He was Andhra’s leading run-getter last season with 627 runs at an average of 52.25, including a double century against Hyderabad. He also featured for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025.
South Zone will face North Zone in the semi-final, with the latter advancing after securing a first-innings lead against East Zone in their quarter-final. The other semi-final will see Central Zone taking on West Zone.
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