Shubman Gill's Illness Forces Duleep Trophy Exit; Ankit Kumar to Captain North Zone

India’s Test captain Shubman Gill is set to miss the Duleep Trophy 2025, scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 28, at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru, as he continues to recover from illness at his home in Chandigarh.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, Gill, who was named captain of the North Zone side, recently underwent a medical evaluation by team physiotherapists, with the health report submitted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

With Gill unavailable, vice-captain Ankit Kumar is expected to take over leadership duties, while Shubham Rohilla has been drafted into the squad as his replacement.

Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, who are both part of India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, will only feature in the opening match against East Zone before leaving for national commitments in the UAE. Gurnoor Brar and Anuj Thakral have been lined up as their replacements.

North Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

Shubman Gill (c), Shubham Khajuria, Ankit Kumar, Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sindhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk).

Reserves

Shubham Arora (wk), Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma

Shubman Gill set for Asia Cup journey

Gill was recently appointed as the vice-captain of India’s T20 side for Asia Cup, to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28, with India kicking off their campaign against UAE on Wednesday, September 10.

Fresh from his sensational performance during the Test series in England, Gill tallied 754 runs across five Tests at an average of 75.40, registering four centuries and rewriting the record books as only the first Asian to surpass 700 runs in a single English series.

India will look to defend their title under new captain Suryakumar Yadav. After opening their campaign against the UAE in Dubai, they will take on arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 at the same venue before facing Oman in their final group match on September 19 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.