Shreyas Iyer played Duleep Trophy semi-final for West Zone against North Zone
Iyer was excluded from Asia Cup 2025 despite strong IPL season
BCCI's Ajit Agarkar cites team balance for exclusion
Yashasvi Jaiswal out early in West Zone's match against Central Zone
Shreyas Iyer returned to competitive cricket on Thursday (September 4, 2025) as the star India batter featured for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025 semi-final against North Zone in Bengaluru.
This domestic outing at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground B marked his first red-ball appearance since leading Punjab Kings to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final against eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He scored 604 runs with half-centuries at a strike rate of 175.07 in the IPL 2025.
Despite his standout IPL season and a strong showing in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the 30-year-old was excluded from India's Asia Cup 2025 squad, sparking widespread debate across the cricketing fraternity. BCCI's chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited team balance as the reason for not selecting Iyer, while former players and fans expressed disappointment over the snub.
Iyer made his India debut in a T20I match against New Zealand at on November 01, 2017. He has since played 135 international matches across formats. In 14 Test matches, he has scored 811 with one century.
A batter known for his calming influence, the Mumbai cricketer has also compiled 2845 and 1104 runs in 70 ODIs and 51 T2OIs, respectively. He has ODI tons.
The right-handed top-order batter has now joined a star-studded West Zone lineup alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of India's home Test season.
West Zone Vs Central Zone, Duleep Trophy Semi-Final Toss Update
West Zone captain Shardul Thakur won the toss and elected to bat first, but India Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal lasted only three balls for his four runs, a boundary. The left-handed batter was trapped in front by Khaleel Ahmed in the first over itself.
West Zone Vs Central Zone, Duleep Trophy Semi-Final Playing XIs
Central Zone Playing XI: Aayush Pandey, Upendra Yadav (wk), Danish Malewar, Rajat Patidar (c), Yash Rathod, Shubham Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Saransh Jain, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Thakur.
West Zone Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Aarya Desai, Shreyas Iyer, Harvik Desai (wk), Shams Mulani, Shardul Thakur (c), Tanush Kotian, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Tushar Deshpande.
