The Duleep Trophy 2025, starting on August 28th in Bengaluru, will see a change in leadership for the East Zone team. Ishan Kishan, originally appointed as captain, will be unable to participate, leading to a reshuffle. The details surrounding Kishan’s unavailability are currently unknown.
Ashirbad Swain, a young wicketkeeper-batsman from Odisha, has been brought in to fill the void. This update was shared via the Odisha Cricket Association’s official communication channels. Abhimanyu Easwaran, a batsman who was part of the Indian Test team during the recent England tour without playing a match, will now assume the captaincy responsibilities.
Swain’s first-class cricket stats include 615 runs at an average of 30.75 across 21 innings, with a top score of 77, along with three half-centuries. He also has a strong fielding record. The East Zone team’s campaign in the Duleep Trophy will begin with a quarter-final match against North Zone, scheduled for August 28-31 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. Shubman Gill will be leading the North Zone squad.
East Zone Squad:
Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ashirbad Swain (wicketkeeper), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Danish Das, Sreejan Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Riyan Parag, Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Mohammad Shami.
Standby: Mukhtar Hussain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudeep Kumar Gharami, and Rahul Singh.