Gautam Gambhir, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi [Source: AFP, x}
The Duleep Trophy 2026 season is set to reach its culmination next week with the final set to be played between September 6 and September 10. As many as three first-choice Team India stars will play the final, namely South Zone captain Tilak Varma, East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan and his deputy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Unfortunately for the batting trio, India’s ‘away’ T20I series against Afghanistan is set to commence just three days after the conclusion of the five-day final, thus leaving them with little time to rest, let alone to prepare for a transition from red-ball to white-ball cricket.
It now appears that the availability of the three aforementioned cricketers will now highly depend upon the decision to be taken by national head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Gautam Gambhir to decide availability of India’s star trio
According to a PTI report, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir will decide if South Zone skipper Tilak Varma and East Zone captain Ishan Kishan and his deputy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will play the impending Duleep Trophy 2026 final match or not.
The Indian cricket team is expected to assemble in Delhi on either September 9 or 10 in a bid to start preparing for the T20I series against Afghanistan. If coach Gambhir wants the trio to play India’s entire T20I series, they will have to skip the final to join the national side in the nation’s capital.
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A source close to the development said “The Indian team will assemble in Delhi on either September 9 or 10. If the head coach wants all three to report as per the T20I team’s itinerary, then the trio cannot play.”
However, Gautam Gambhir can also permit Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to play the Duleep Trophy 2026, if he is willing to allow them to take an immediate flight from Chennai to Delhi right after the title clash.
“But if the head coach wants them to play the final and report to Delhi on September 10 late evening, they can also do that.”
How will Ishan, Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma’s absence impact their Duleep Trophy teams
If Gautam Gambhir decides the pull the trio out of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final, it would serve as a major blow to the title prospects of both sides.
For instance, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has minted 140 runs in just three innings spanning two matches of the tournament for the East Zone. The 15-year-old blasted an 81-ball 92 against the Central Zone in a match-winning cause for his side.
Ishan Kishan has also proven his worth as East Zone captain, leading them to comprehensive wins over North East Zone in the quarterfinal and against Central Zone in the semifinal.
Even Tilak Varma tonked scores of 116* and 51* as South Zone captain in the second semifinal of the Duleep Trophy 2026 season against the North Zone.
In their absence, both East Zone and South Zone could face a significant setback in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final, with the three India stars playing a crucial role in their respective teams’ campaigns.
BCCI announce India squad for Afghanistan series
Just earlier this week, the BCCI announced a 15-player India squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan. As one can expect, the selection committee named Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the series, while the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar’s availability are still subject to fitness clearance.
India's T20 squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
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