Abhishek Sharma Ignored As North Zone Name Surprise Captain For Duleep Trophy 2026

J&K Star - (Source: X)On Monday, August 3, North Zone finally revealed their 15-member squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy season. Jammu & Kashmir star Kanhaiya Wadhawan has been named as the captain, while Ayush Badoni of Delhi Cricket Association has been named as his deputy.The 15-member squad mostly consists of players from DDCA, JKCA, and Punjab Cricket Association. However, six players from the Ranji Trophy-winning squad of Jammu & Kashmir have earned a well-deserved selection. The squad lacks experienced players, but Arshdeep Singh is there, who will lead the bowling department.North Zone Squad For Duleep Trophy 2026Sanat Sangwan, Qamran Iqbal, Yash Dhull, Ayush Doseja, Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni (V.C), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (C ), Nishant Sindhu, Arjun Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Arshdeep Singh,Sunil Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, Yudhvir Singh, Nikhil KashyapNotably, Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh are the only two players who have received an India cap.Who Is Kanhaiya Wadhawan?Kanhaiya Wadhawan was a crucial part of Jammu & Kashmir’s title-winning campaign. The keeper-batter scored 474 runs in 13 innings, averaging 36.56, which includes a century. He also scored a fifty in the Ranji Trophy final.The 24-year-old is a promising talent and was also part of North Zone’s Duleep Trophy squad in 2025. He scored 99 runs in three innings in the previous edition. He played under the leadership of Shubman Gill and will lead the side for the first time.Notably, the Duleep Trophy will start on August 23, which will overlap with India’s Test series against Sri Lanka, which is why marquee stars like Shubman Gill and Auqib Nabi are not part of the squad.Also Read: ICC Bans India-Origin USA Player For Breaching Anti-Corruption CodeAbhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh IgnoredThe internet was divided after the squad was announced because it lacked star power. Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh's absence was noticed immediately and it created a ruckus on social media.Abhishek Sharma is known for his T20 heroics, but he has been doing well in first-class cricket. Recently, the left-handed batter recently slammed a brilliant 233 in a senior inter-district One-day match, which featured 25 sixes and 15 fours.Prabhsimran Singh, on the other hand, has been ignored as well despite doing brilliantly in red-ball cricket. He has 1,599 first-class runs at 36.34, five hundreds, a double century as well, making it difficult to be ignored.How Did North Zone Perform In Duleep Trophy 2025?In 2025 Duleep Trophy, North Zone played two matches and both of them resulted in a draw. Their last outing was against South Zone in the semi-final where the latter earned a ticket to the final because of a higher first innings total. For the unversed, North Zone is the 2nd most-successful side in the history of Duleep Trophy with 18 titles. They are just one title shy from equalling West Zone's record.Also Read: Shubman Gill Set To Play In New T20 League After India Vs Sri Lanka Tests