India's domestic season finally kicked off with the much-awaited Duleep Trophy, which is a premier red-ball zonal domestic competition organized by the BCCI.
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The Semi-finals of the knockout event are set to be played from September 4 at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence. The South Zone will be up against the winners of the quarter-finals.
Ahead of the important clash, two of India's young sensations, Tilak Varma and Sai Kishore, will be unavailable for the South Zone side.
Tilak Varma and Sai Kishore are set to miss the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy
The young batter from Hyderabad, Tilak Varma, has been replaced in the South Zone squad as he is set to travel with India's Asia Cup squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, starting on September 9th. Tilak is a part of India's 15-member squad that will travel to the UAE for the continental event.
At 22, Tilak has become one of India's key middle-order batters in the shortest format. In 24 international T20s, the young man from Hyderabad has amassed 749 runs at an average of nearly 50 and a strike rate of above 155. He has also scored two T20 international tons in such a short span.
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Tilak Varma is being replaced in South Zone team as he will be flying with the Indian team for Asia Cup. Whereas Sai Kishore is ruled out of Duleep Trophy game due to finger injury. @IExpressSports
— Devendra Pandey (@pdevendra) August 31, 2025
Sai Kishore, the left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu, has also been ruled out of the upcoming fixture due to a finger injury. The young man has been a mainstay in the South Zone squad for the past couple of years and has impressed one and all with his antics with the ball and also the bat.
His absence from the side could well be a big blow for the South Zone, who secured a birth directly to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Team India is expected to carry out their first net session for the Asia Cup in the UAE on September 5th. The players will travel individually from their home bases and are directed to reach Dubai before September 4th.
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