Duleep Trophy: Did Shreyas Iyer decline West Zone captaincy?
What's the story
Star Team India batter Shreyas Iyer turned down an offer to lead the West Zone team in the 2025 Duleep Trophy, as per Times of India journalist Gaurav Gupta. The decision came as he was hoping for a call-up to India's Asia Cup squad. However, his hopes were dashed when he was excluded from both the main and reserve lists of players for the tournament.
Leadership change
Shardul Thakur appointed West Zone captain
Following Iyer's refusal, the West Zone selection committee chairman Sanjay Patil appointed Shardul Thakur as the new captain for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The First-Class tournament is set to kick off on August 28. Despite turning down the captaincy offer, Iyer has made himself available for selection in this prestigious tournament.
Training efforts
Iyer trained for white-ball cricket ahead of Asia Cup
In anticipation of an Asia Cup call-up, Iyer had started preparing for white-ball cricket with his personal coach Pravin Amre. He trained at the Mumbai Cricket Association's BKC facility and the Cricket Club of India. However, his hopes were dashed when he was not selected in the squad.
Selector's statement
Agarkar on Iyer's exclusion from Asia Cup squad
When asked about Iyer's exclusion from the Asia Cup squad, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said it wasn't the batter's fault but there was no one he could replace in the team. He added that Iyer would have to wait for his chance. This statement indicates that while Iyer was in contention, other players were preferred for this particular tournament.
IPL 2025
Iyer had a stellar IPL 2025
Iyer had a stellar IPL 2025 season as Punjab Kings finished as runners-up. He finished with 604 runs at 50.33, having clobbered six fifties. He tallied 39 maximums, the most by a captain in a single edition. His strike rate (175.07) is the third-best among batters with 600-plus runs in a season. However, these numbers weren't enough for him to earn a T20I recall.