Tilak Varma to lead South Zone, Sanju Samson left out

Tilak Varma was chosen by the selectors to be the captain of the South Zone in the 2025 edition of the top red-ball event. The beginning of India’s next domestic season will be the Duleep Trophy 2025. The competition will once again be contested in zonal forms, with teams split up into six zones: North, East, West, South, North East, and Central, according to confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The first semi-final, which will take place at the BCC Centre of Excellence Grounds in Bengaluru, will pit the team captained by Tilak Varma against the quarterfinal victor.

The team will face the winner of the second semi-final, where West Zone is one of the pre-seeded teams, in the finals if it wins or manages a lead in the first inning of the semi-finals.

What prevented Sanju Samson from attending?

Tilak Varma appointment as a leader was formally completed following a recent zonal selection committee meeting in Pondicherry. The team’s vice-captain is Mohammad Azharuddeen, who last year guided Kerala to its infrequent appearance in the Ranji Trophy final. Star cricketer Sanju Samson is one prominent Keralan who is not included in the Kerala team. However, the selectors looked forward of the wicketkeeper-batter because he had injury problems during the IPL 2025 and might not be fully recovered.

R Sai Kishore, the captain of Tamil Nadu, who plays for the Gujarat Titans under Shubman Gill, has also been selected. The top-order batsman Tanmay Agarwal, who had an incredible 2024–25 season, has also been selected to play for the South Zone. Narayan Jagadeesan, Kishore’s colleague from TN, has also been included in the 16-man roster. The sole Karnataka representative on the team is Vijay Kumar Vyshak.

South Zone 2025 Duleep Trophy team

Mohammed Azharuddeen (vc) (Kerala), Tanmay Agarwal (Hyderabad), Devdutt Padikkal (Karnataka), Mohit Kale (Pondicherry), Salman Nizar (Kerala), Narayan Jagadeesan (Tamil Nadu), Tripurana Vijay (Andhra), R Sai Kishore (Tamil Nadu), Tanay Thyagarajan (Hyderabad), Vijaykumar Vyshak (Karnataka), Nidheesh MD (Kerala), Ricky Bhui (Andhra), Basil NP (Kerala), Gurjapneet Singh (Tamil Nadu), and Snehal Kauthankar (Goa)

Mohit Redkar, R Smaran, Ankit Sharma, Edhen Apple Tom, Andre Siddarth, and Shaikh Rasheed are standby players.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Timetable, Date, Locations, and Additional Details Match