Duleep Trophy set to revert to zonal format from next season: Reports
India's red-ball domestic tournament Duleep Trophy is likely to revert to the zonal format from next season. The reported decision was made during Board of Control for Cricket in India's Annual General Meeting on Sunday, September 29, in Bengaluru.
The 2024 edition of the Duleep Trophy was played in a round-robin format featuring four sides - India A, India B, India C and India D - from September 5 to September 22. India A won the final by defeating India C by 132 runs in match number six in Anantapur.
As per Cricbuzz, the general consensus at BCCI's AGM was that the tournament which concluded recently in Anantapur didn't serve its purpose. The report further added that some state associations were not satisfied with the format of four teams even though many big names featured in the event. According to them, some deserving players didn't get selected.
The Duleep Trophy is thus likely to return in the zonal format next year and may be held on an inter-zonal basis. The report, though, claimed that while earlier teams from five zones featured in the event, the next edition of the domestic tournament will have six teams - East, South, West, North, Central and North-East.
Star performers in the 2024 Duleep Trophy
Ricky Bhui was the leading run-getter in the 2024 Duleep Trophy. In six innings, he scored 359 runs at an average of 71.80. Abhimanyu Easwaran hit 309 runs in five innings at an average of 77.25. Shashwat Rawat (256), Ruturaj Gaikwad (232) and Sai Sudharsan (211) complete the top five list of leading run-getters.
Shifting focus to bowlers, Anshul Kamboj was the leading wicket-taker in the 2024 Duleep Trophy. In three matches, he claimed 16 wickets at an average of 17.12. Mukesh Kumar picked up 15 scalps at an average of 28.60 and Navdeep Saini 14 at 25.43. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh picked up 13 wickets. Tanush Kotian, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Manav Suthar finished with 10 scalps each.
Apart from the decision on Duleep Trophy, the BCCI also confirmed Arun Singh Dhumal and Avishek Dalmiya as the two representatives elected to the IPL Governing Council at the AGM. Further, the members unanimously resolved to maintain BCCI’s legal status as a 'society'.