Former Mumbai batter Kiran Powar has been appointed as head coach of the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which begins on August 28.

The tournament will once again follow the zonal format this season and will be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence grounds in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, former Gujarat Wk-batter Pallav Vora will serve as the assistant coach. According to the Mumbai Cricket Association, the support staff will include Dr. Jayadev Pandya as physiotherapist, Mahesh Patil as strength and conditioning coach, Pradipsinh Champavat as team analyst, and Aakash Chaudhary as masseur and Datta Mithbavkar will take charge as team manager.

As per the format, West Zone and South Zone, the finalists in the last zonal edition (2022-23) will start their campaign directly in the semi finals, while the remaining four teams will begin from the quarter final stage.

“The team will be led by a highly experienced and skilled group of professionals dedicated to ensuring the players are in peak condition for the prestigious domestic competition,” said West Zone Convenor Abhay Hadap.

“This diverse team of specialists brings a wealth of knowledge in sports science, physical conditioning, and strategic analysis. Their collective expertise is expected to provide comprehensive support to the West Zone squad throughout the tournament as they aim for victory,” he added.

The Duleep Trophy has returned to its traditional zonal format a year after being contested as a four-team tournament. Notably, the 2024-25 edition of the tournament featured four teams India A, India B, India C and India D.

India A were crowned champions of the tournament after they have finished at the top of the points table with two wins from three matches, having 12 points to their name.

However, the four-team format was given a thumbs down at the recent BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) Annual General Meeting.

The tournament will be returning to their original format where six teams from as many zones – Central, West, North, South and North East are taking part in the tournament.

Hence, the BCCI has decided to bring back the zonal format to give fair opportunities to all the players.

The Duleep Trophy 2025 will begin with North Zone and East Zone will be played between August 28 at BCCI Centre of Excellence.

West Zone Squad: Shardul Thakur (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (WK) Tanush kotian, dharmenndra jadeja, Tushar deshpandeArzan nagwaswalla