Syed Kirmani delighted as Duleep may return to zonal system

Syed Kirmani. Pic/AFP

Syed Kirmani, who kept wickets for India from 1975-76 to 1985-86, is delighted over the possibility that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will go back to the zonal system for the Duleep Trophy as against the four-team format which was held this year. Sources told mid-day that members at the Board's Annual General Meeting in Bangalore were told on Sunday that there was a good chance the Duleep Trophy would be played among zones (North, South, East, West and Central) from next season. "The old system was not bad. I am happy that just after a year they [BCCI] have realised that we should go back to having five zones in the Duleep Trophy," Kirmani said from Bangalore.

Another former Test player who would be pleased with BCCI's plan would be Yajurvindra Singh, who wrote a column for IANS recently in which he said that this year's tournament lacked a sense of purpose. "Unfortunately, both the Duleep and Irani Trophy have become insignificant. The alphabetic symbol denoting the teams in the Duleep Trophy and the ready mix of players jumbled together in it has lost its very importance of what the tournament stood for. There was barely a celebration or concern, even in the press and multi-media platforms, after Team A's victory, recently. The 2024 tournament basically stood for individual performances. The basic values of teamwork, loyalty, oneness and playing for one another that is so important in sports were absent," wrote the former all-rounder.

Also Read: Duleep Trophy 2024: A look at the standout performers

Meanwhile, Kirmani was surprised that BCCI did not even invite him along with EAS Prasanna and BS Chandrasekhar for the inauguration of the new National Cricket Academy. "It [inauguration] happened in Bangalore and Karnataka players have been overlooked. Strange, isn't it?" remarked the ex-stumper, who was part of Karnataka's 1973-74 Ranji Trophy triumph, whose golden jubilee was celebrated earlier this year. Kirmani played his first Duleep Trophy game in the 1973-74 season for South Zone while his last was in 1991-92.