Ishan Kishan unlikely to feature in Duleep Trophy opener; Sanju Samson in line to be named as replacement 

Indian wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan is doubtful to feature in the first round of the Duleep Trophy, scheduled to begin from Friday, September 5. According to a report by Cricbuzz, he might be carrying an injury after recently featuring for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu Tournament.

Kishan was named in the Shreyas Iyer-led Team D of the red-ball competition that kickstarts the domestic season in India. Although the exact nature and the severity of the injury are yet to be known, he is expected to play the remainder of the tournament.

In Kishan's absence for the tournament opener, fellow wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson is likely to be considered after not being named in any of the four squads initially. Team D will open their campaign against Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Team C in Anantapur.

The Duleep Trophy marks an avenue for Ishan Kishan to make a comeback into the national side. The southpaw was omitted from the contract list after not featuring for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 despite not being involved with the national team. His last stint with Team India came during the tour of South Africa in December 2023, where he left the squad midway through the series citing mental fatigue.

Kishan took the first step towards a potential return by leading Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu tournament. He scored a hundred in the first innings against Madhya Pradesh, while remaining unbeaten on 41 in the second innings en route to a successful run chase.

However, the 26-year-old was not among the runs against Hyderabad, recording only six runs across both innings.

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Ishan Kishan joins Suryakumar Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik and Ravindra Jadeja in the Duleep Trophy absentees list

Ishan Kishan is not the first name to face a setback during the lead-up to the Duleep Trophy. Recently, Suryakumar Yadav was also forced to withdraw from the opening clash after sustaining a hand injury in Mumbai's loss to TNCA XI in the Buchi Babu tournament.

Furthermore, the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja were also withdrawn by the BCCI ahead of the competition. Siraj and Malik are recovering from illness, as Navdeep Saini and Gaurav Yadav have been named replacements respectively.