The Sports Desk
While the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 semi-final is poised to ignite, West Zone – armed with a strong line-up of Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shardul Thakur – are all set to face Central Zone in Bengaluru from September 4 to 7.
Big Picture: Star Power vs Emerging Talent
West Zone comes into this encounter with a strong and quality packed batting line up. Iyer, looking to translate his domestic form onto the national stage, has his eyes set on a big score after being left out of the Asia Cup squad. Jaiswal, who is a Test regular, wants to continue keeping the red-ball practice ahead of the major series at home.
Сentral zone should not be ruled out despite the absentees. Led by run-scoring char Mian Rajat Patidar from the semifinal, promising youngsters like Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma haver delivered under pressure, and they aren’t easy opposition.
Team News & Key Changes
- West Zone are much improved thanks to a full-strength side but have had to come to terms with the loss of Sarfaraz Khan, who was ruled out with a quadricep injury. Shivalik Sharma has been appointed to take his place.
- Central Zone had the rough ride:
- The original captain and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel has been ruled out with dengue fever and will not play the semi-final.
- Akshay Wadkar has been brought in the squad to replace him as wicketkeeper.
- Kuldeep Yadav has also pulled out on account of his Asia Cup commitments paving way for Yash Thakur.
Spotlight Players
- Shreyas Iyer: With two eye-catching IPL seasons, Iyer is now looking for red-ball success to get back into the reckoning for India’s Test tours to West Indies and Australia.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: Test debut is out of question but now all he got to worry about not losing his form. A strong performance here could further solidify his red-ball credentials.
- Shardul Thakur: West Zone’s captain will be looking at all-round contributions – with the ball and bat – after some ordinary results in Tests in recent times.
- Rajat Patidar: The hero of Central’s quarterfinal win, having led from the front with a great hundred, Patidar will have to play a crucial role for Central in providing stability to their batting along with Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma.
Probable XIs
West Zone (probable): Shardul Thakur (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivalik Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala. (Sarfaraz ruled out)
Central Zone (Probable): Rajat Patidar (vc), Akshay Wadkar (wk), Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Deepak Chahar, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Aditya Thakare. (Jurel and Kuldeep unavailable)
Pitch & Conditions
The semi-final is being played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Recent quarter-final games were prone to high-scoring fare, but steady rain and overcast skies should help the seamers on the first morning. Later on this batting paradise, the surface might also turn and reward bowlers who can hold their patience and line.
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