The Nagaland Cricket Association (NCA) will have plenty to cheer for when the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 begins later this month, with three of its players making the cut for the North East Zone squad.
Batting allrounder Jonathan Rongsen will not only represent the team but also captain it, joined by top-order batsman Hem Bahadur Chetri and batting allrounder Sedezhalie Rupero. Adding to Nagaland’s representation, Moalong Kichu has been appointed as the squad’s physio.
The team, selected by the North East Zonal Selection Committee in Guwahati, will face Central Zone in their opening quarterfinal from August 28 to 31 at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence.
Preparation will begin with a pre-tournament camp in Dimapur from August 18 to 24, hosted by the NCA. The squad will depart for Bengaluru on August 25, with expenses shared among the six North East states — Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim.
Bowling allrounder Imliwati Lemtur has been named among seven standbys for the tournament.
About the Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy, India’s premier domestic red-ball tournament, returns to the zonal knockout format this season. Established in 1961-62, it features teams from North, South, West, East, Central, and North East Zones. This year’s edition runs August 28 to September 15 in Bengaluru. Matches are four-day first-class fixtures played on a knockout basis, with South and West Zones, the finalists of the previous zonal edition in 2023, seeded directly into the semifinals.
Quarterfinals:
· Aug 28-31: North Zone vs East Zone
· Aug 28-31: Central Zone vs North East Zone
Semifinals:
· Sept 4-7: South Zone vs Winner QF1
· Sept 4-7: West Zone vs Winner QF2
Final:
· Sept 11-15: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2