The Duleep Trophy remains a key benchmark of India’s Test and red-ball pipeline, but selections often spark debate. Several young domestic cricketers get to perform in front of more eyeballs, but several domestic stalwarts find themselves being ignored despite consistent performance.
Similar things happened in the recent 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season that produced standout batting and bowling performances. There are serious concerns when important players who destroyed batting lineups and saved innings under extreme strain are left out. Here are three players who delivered consistently but were surprisingly left out of the Duleep Trophy squad.
Here are the 3 players who have been ignored for the Duleep Trophy 2026:
3. R. Sai Kishore
In the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy, Tamil Nadu skipper and left-arm orthodox spinner Sai Kishore once again led from the front, anchoring his team’s assault with 20 wickets at an average of 30.80 in six games. Along with one five-wicket and four-wicket haul each this season, Kishore put on a signature effort against Vidarbha, capturing 5/150 in a high-scoring contest. Kishore was snubbed from the Duleep Trophy, and instead he is doing well in the English county championship. Sai Kishore has played for India, appearing in 3 T20Is and taking 4 wickets with the best bowling figures of 3/12.
2. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal, who scored 678 runs at an average of 42.37 in ten games, gave Karnataka dependable top-order solidity in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy. Despite the right-hander’s incredible knock of 160 in the final, Karnataka lost. Agarwal did not receive a selection nod despite his consistent red-ball production against elite opponents. Like Sai Kishore, Mayank Agarwal is playing in the English County Championship. Agarwal made 1488 runs in 21 tests with 4 centuries and 6 fifties, with the best score of 243.
1. Mayank Mishra
Mayank Mishra, a left-arm spinner from Uttarakhand, had one of the most successful bowling performances in the Ranji Trophy 2025–2026, taking 59 wickets in just eight games. After Auqib Nabi of Jammu & Kashmir (60), he was the second-highest wicket-taker. In his greatest performance, Uttarakhand defeated Assam 6-84 to advance to the knockout stages.
