Star Players Miss Duleep Trophy Opener Due to Illness and Rest Periods

Seamer Mohammed Siraj will miss the opening round of the Duleep Trophy due to illness, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been given an extended rest by the BCCI. The first-round matches will take place from September 5-8. Replacement players have been announced to fill in for those sidelined.

Mohammed Siraj, the seamer for India, will be absent from the first round of the Duleep Trophy, owing to illness. Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is also set to miss the initial games as he has been granted an extended rest period by the BCCI's national selection committee.

The opening round matches of the Duleep Trophy are scheduled from September 5-8. During this period, India A will compete against India B at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while India C will face India D at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Ananthapur.

Siraj, who was previously part of India's team for their last away series in Sri Lanka, along with Umran Malik, has been replaced by Navdeep Saini and Gaurav Yadav, respectively. The BCCI confirmed that both Siraj and Malik are ill and unlikely to recover in time for the fixtures.

Additionally, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, rested from the ODI series in Sri Lanka, has been released from Team B. Gaurav Yadav, replacing Malik, performed exceptionally in the last Ranji Trophy season, capturing 41 wickets in seven matches for Pondicherry.