September 1, 2025

Big news from the cricket field! Kerala’s sparkling batter Mohammed Azharuddeen has been handed the captain’s armband for the South Zone team. Why? Because original captain Tilak Varma is off to shine for India at the Asia Cup! The Duleep Trophy semifinal against North Zone kicks off at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on September 4, and Azharuddeen is ready to lead the charge. Azharuddeen was the vice-captain before, so the leadership torch now passes to him, while Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan steps up as the new vice-captain. But that’s not all—Tamil Nadu’s crafty left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore won’t be in action this time. He’s still healing from a hand injury that kept him out of the Buchi Babu Trophy. To keep the squad strong, South Zone added two promising stars: Ankit Sharma from Puducherry and Andhra’s young top-order bat Shaikh Rasheed. Ankit is a crafty left-arm spinner with 168 wickets in 68 first-class games. Rasheed, just 20 years old, has already scored 1,204 runs in 19 Ranji Trophy matches and even caught the eye of Chennai Super Kings during IPL 2025. The refreshed South Zone squad now includes powerhouse players like Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, and of course, captain Mohammed Azharuddeen himself. With new faces and a fresh leadership, South Zone is all set to battle hard in what promises to be an exciting Duleep Trophy semifinal!

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Tags: Duleep trophy, Mohammed azharuddeen, Tilak varma, South zone cricket, Asia cup, Cricket team updates,