Iyer and Jaiswal Lead Strong West Zone Team Against Central Zone

Iyer and Jaiswal Lead Strong West Zone Team Against Central Zone

Duleep Trophy 2025: India Stars Batter Returns to Duleep Trophy Semifinal. Iyer and Jaiswal were added to the West Zone Squad.

A star-studded West Zone team, led by Shardul Thakur, is set to face Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 semi-final at Ground B of the BCCI Centre of Excellence near Bengaluru.

Team Strengths & Key Absences

Central Zone reached the semis by earning a first-innings lead against North East Zone. But they now face a much stronger West Zone side featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Tushar Deshpande.

West Zone will miss Sarfaraz Khan, who’s out with a quadriceps injury. Their bowling will be led by Thakur and Deshpande, with Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian handling spin duties.

Central Zone will be without Kuldeep Yadav, who’s in India’s Asia Cup squad, and captain Dhruv Jurel, who’s recovering from a groin issue. Akshay Wadkar joins the squad as wicketkeeper, while Rajat Patidar is expected to lead.

Batting Form & Bowling Threats

Central’s batters impressed in the quarter-final: Patidar and Shubham Sharma hit centuries, and Danish Malewar smashed a double-ton. Their bowling will rely on Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, and Harsh Dubey to contain West’s powerful lineup.

West Zone qualified directly for the semi-final thanks to their performance in the 2023-24 zonal-format final. The match won’t be televised.

Spotlight Players: Iyer & Patidar

This will be Shreyas Iyer’s first red-ball match since the IPL 2025 final. Despite a strong IPL season for Punjab Kings, he was left out of India’s Asia Cup squad. He’ll be keen to score big and push for a national comeback.

Rajat Patidar started the season in style with scores of 125 and 66 in the quarter-final. Against West Zone’s stronger bowling attack, he’ll be Central’s key batter.

West Zone (probable): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harvik Desai (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Shivalik Sharma, Jaymeet Patel, Shardul Thakur (c), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja/Arzan Nagwaswala.

Central Zone (probable): Aayush Pandey, Danish Malewar, Shubham Sharma, Rajat Patidar (c), Upendra Yadav/Akshay Wadkar (wk), Yash Rathod, Deepak Chahar, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Aditya Thakare, Khaleel Ahmed