While the Duleep Trophy has ended, there is no shortage of red-ball cricket for Indian cricketers as the annual Irani Cup clash will kickstart on October 1 as defending Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai will face a Rest of India squad at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (BRSABV) Ekana Cricket Stadium.
While the game is usually held in the city of the Ranji champions, this year's clash has been moved away from Mumbai due to the threat of rain with the region still experiencing monsoon.
Mumbai will be without the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Sarfaraz Khan due to national duty but are still likely to field a very strong line-up, which includes skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, and Shardul Thakur, as well as rising young talents like Tushar Deshpande, Musheer Khan, and Tanush Kotian.
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Rest Of India Predicted Squad For Irani Cup 2024
However, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is set to face a tricky challenge in picking the Rest of India squad for the 2024 Irani Cup. Not only will they not have the rich talent base of Mumbai to choose from, the scheduling of the match is set to spark more restraints.
The game starts on October 1, which is the final day of the second India-Bangladesh Test match, meaning the selectors will not be able to choose any players from the Indian test squad. Furthermore, the Irani Cup will end on October 5, while the first T20I between India and Bangladesh is scheduled for October 6, which will mean that players selected for the white-ball leg of the series will also not be in contention.
With Test regulars like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj likely to be rested, it will mean that some of the finest talents in the country such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, and Avesh Khan will be selected for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, some others, like Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Tilak Verma, and Shivam Dube, are already expected to be part of the Suryakumar-led outfit.
Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has led India-A several times and also captained India B in the 2024 Duleep Trophy, is expected to lead the Rest of India squad too. Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar, who made their Test debut for India against England earlier this year, are likely to make the squad.
Ricky Bhui, who finished as the top scorer of both the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy and 2024-25 Duleep Trophy, should make the squad. Sai Sudharsan should fancy his chances after a century in the Duleep Trophy, a brilliant Ranji Trophy campaign, and an impressive ODI debut for India against South Africa. Shashank Rawat has emerged as the brightest young talents and likely to be picked as a reserve batter.
With Dhruv Jurel above him in the pecking order after debuting in Zimbabwe, Ishan Kishan is unlikely to make a T20I comeback for India and hence should get a chance in the Irani Cup. Abhishek Porel is likely to be the second wicketkeeper in the squad.
As far as the bowling department is concerned, Sai Kishore and Manav Suthar are likely to be rewarded for their impressive displays in red-ball cricket over the year. Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar could get the node after taking nine wickets in two matches in the 2024 Duleep Trophy.
As far as the pacers are concerned; Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Kumar, and Navdeep Saini finished as the top three highest wicket-takers in the Duleep Trophy and should be part of the Irani Cup. Vijaykumar Vyshak finished as the sixth highest wicket taker, and with Arshdeep not available, he is set to get the nod.
Rest Of India Predicted Squad Irani cup 2024 VS Mumbai: Abhimanyu Eashwaran (C), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Ricky Bhui, Shashank Rawat, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Porel, Sai Kishore, Manav Suthar, Rahul Chahar, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Vijaykumar Vyshak