India debut may await these Duleep Trophy stars!

• Central Zone wins Duleep Trophy 2025; Rajat Patidar leads, Malewar & others shine.
• Saransh Jain named Player of the Tournament, takes 16 wickets, and scores 138 runs.
• Yash Rathod, scores 374 runs, hits 194 in final; selectors notice uncapped talents.

The Duleep Trophy 2025 marked the commencement of the brand-new season of the Indian domestic cricket. Facing the reigning champions South Zone in the finale

at Bengaluru’s BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground, Central Zone lifted their first trophy after a decade of fighting hard for the coveted silverware. Central, led by Rajat Patidar, were absolutely dominant throughout the three games they contested in the competition. Patidar, having played a handful of Tests for the Indian team, was brilliant on the individual front as well, ending the season as the highest run-getter with 382 runs across five innings.

While capped players grab the maximum limelight, it is often the uncapped and promising young talents who silently grinding it out, only to let their showings speak louder for their best interest. The season ended was nothing different, as several uncapped stars, who’ve been toiling it hard in the domestic set-up for quite some time now, raised their arms when the side needed them the most. As another season ends, CricTracker sheds light on three such names who are far from being in the thick of things, but have forced the selectors to look at them with the standout performances. 

And just for the context, none of the players in the list below have played in the Indian Premier League either, so scouts might have them play for fan-favourite franchises with IPL 2026 Auctions not too far away.

3 uncapped Indians who performed well in Duleep Trophy 2025

3. Danish Malewar

Danish Malewar, the dynamic batter, unleashed his class when it mattered. Playing for Central Zone, Malewar found himself batting across different positions to garner a tally of 352 runs from five innings. He also smashed a double ton in the quarter-final against North East Zone, which helped the side gain a comfortable walk into the semis.

In the penultimate clash against a star-studded West Zone line-up, which had the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur and Yashasvi Jaiswal among others, Malewar hit another crucial half-century and bailed his side out of trouble, sailing the ship over the shores and gaining a first-inning’s lead to ensure Central moved to the finale without much hassle.

A promising lad hailing from Nagpur, Maharashtra, Malewar represents Vidarbha and had been super-helpful in the side lifting the silverware with his 783 runs from nine matches at an amazing average of 52.20. What’s more awe-inspiring is that Ranji 2024-25 also marked the First-Class debut for the 21-year-old. He will hope to continue his form and bang the selectors’ doors.

2. Saransh Jain

A crafty off-spinner, Saransh Jain had built his reputation of taking breakthroughs with the ball in his hand. It wasn’t uncommon for Saransh to be among the pick of the bowlers, but his notable knocks came with the bat as well. Mostly batting down the order, Saransh stitched up a crucial partnership lower down the order to gain a lead for his side against West Zone. Additionally, he also picked eight wickets in the clash against the Shardul Thakur-led side to make a mark right upon his arrival into the set-up.

As it was in the finale, the Indore-born replicated his performances from the semis to once again provide a solid support to his side. Starting with the ball, the 32-year-old picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings, helping Central bundle the hosts out for just 149. He was crucial with the bat in Central’s mammoth 511 reply, scoring an 69, as Patidar & Co went ahead by 363 runs.

In the second innings, he once again shone with three important breakthroughs, completing 16 wickets in the tournament from just four winnings, also the most this year, coming at an average of 24.00. For compiling 138 runs and 16 wickets in the season, Saransh was rightly adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

1. Yash Rathod

Last but not the least, Yash Rathod, the charming middle-order batter from Vidarbha, was called into the Central Zone set-up following a dream season of 960 runs in Ranji Trophy 2024-25. A left-handed batter, who has risen through the ranks from junior level to being a champion batter at the highest level in domestic cricket, Rathod has become a go-to guy for every captain as he can pile up runs for fun, without even letting the opposition notice that he’s snatched the game from their hold.

The Nagpur-born was the second-highest run-getter this season as well, scoring 374 runs in five innings at a mind-boggling average of 124.00. His best came against South Zone in the finale, where he stood his guard to amass 194 in the first innings, narrowly missing a well-deserved double ton. However, this was enough to secure him a Player of the Match accolade. Additionally, he had a couple of half-centuries as well, displaying his sheer elegance.