Ishan Kishan Doubtful for Duleep Trophy Opener; Sanju Samson Likely to Step In

Indian wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan is likely to miss the Duleep Trophy opener in Anantapur on Thursday (September 5), with a possible injury.

As per a report in Cricbuzz, the left-hander, who participated in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai recently, could miss the initial part of the Indian domestic season opener tournament and his participation in the later stages is also unclear.

Sanju Sasmon, who was not initially named in any of the four teams announced by the selectors, is expected to be called up to replace him. Kishan was in Team D, led by Shreyas Iyer.  Team D will take on Rurutaj Gaikwad-led Team C in the opener, followed by their second match against Team A from September 12 in Anantapur.

In Buchi Babu, Kishan played two matches before his team was knocked out in the league stage. While he scored a century (114) and remained unbeaten on 41 in the first match against Madhya Pradesh, his performance in the second match against Hyderabad was underwhelming, scoring just 1 and 5 in two innings.

Last season, Kishan found himself in hot water with the national selectors due to disciplinary issues after he skipped several Ranji Trophy games despite clear instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to participate. He was informed that national selection would only be considered if he played for his state team.

This potential setback for Kishan comes at a time when other prominent players are also missing out on the multi-day red-ball competition. Suryakumar Yadav, the India T20I skipper, suffered a hand injury during the Buchi Babu tournament and is reportedly undergoing treatment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Additionally, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj have been withdrawn from the competition for different reasons.