29-yr-old T20 World Cup-winner likely to replace Ishan Kishan for Duleep Trophy 2024

India's wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is expected to miss the opening match of the Duleep Trophy 2024, which begins in Anantapur on Thursday.

According to Cricbuzz, the wicketkeeper-batter, who is part of Shreyas Iyer's India D team, has been dealing with an injury. 

Sanju Samson set to replace Ishan Kishan in Duleep Trophy

As a result, Sanju Samson, who was initially not included in any of the squads, is likely to be named as Kishan's replacement.

29-year-old Samson, who hasn't been a constant in Team India set-up, was part of India's victorious T20 World Cup 2024 squad, however, he didn't get a chance in the playing XI in any of the matches. His inclusion in the squad came after disappointment in the 2022 and 2023 World Cups. Despite being selected for the T20 format, he was omitted from the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour. It was star wicketkeeper-batter's extraordinary performance in IPL 2024 which sort of revived his career where his scored 531 runs in 15 matches while leading Rajasthan Royals. Sanju will surely look to make the most of the opportunity to draw selector's attention towards him. 

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Kishan's participation in later stages of Duleep Trophy is uncertain

Meanwhile, as far as Kishan is concerned, it is uncertain whether he will participate in the later stages of the Duleep Trophy. His involvement may also depend on the Indian team selection for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh. However, there's a chance he could play in the latter part of the six-match competition. Each of the four teams will play three matches, and Team D's second game is against Team A on September 12 in Anantapur.

Before the Duleep Trophy, Kishan represented his state team, Jharkhand, in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai. However, due to his team's elimination from the league stage, his participation was limited to two games. Jharkhand won their first match against Madhya Pradesh but lost the second against Hyderabad. In the second match of the Buchi Babu tournament, played at India Cements Ground in Shankar Nagar, Chennai, Kishan scored a total of 16 runs across both innings before his team's elimination. In the first game, he had scored a century (114) in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 41 in the second.

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Last season, Kishan was excluded from national selection due to disciplinary issues. He had skipped a few Ranji Trophy games despite the BCCI's instructions to the contrary. The BCCI had informed him that he would only be considered for national selection after playing for his state team.

Kishan's participation in the Buchi Babu tournament may have partially fulfilled this requirement. However, since it's not a recognized national competition, his inclusion in the Duleep Trophy mix could suggest a softening of the selectors' stance towards him. It remains to be seen how they will view his recent withdrawal. Kishan may join Suryakumar Yadav in missing the Duleep Trophy. The India T20I captain suffered a hand injury during the Buchi Babu tournament and is currently undergoing treatment at the National Cricket Academy. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj have also been withdrawn from the competition for various reasons.

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