The South Zone cricket selectors have chosen to stick to their previously announced Duleep Trophy team, disregarding a recent directive from the BCCI, according to Cricbuzz. The board had instructed all zones to include contracted players in their squads for the upcoming inter-zonal red-ball tournament. As a result, high-profile Indian cricketers KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Sai Sudharsan, and Prasidh Krishna are not part of the South Zone squad. The team, finalized on July 26, now lists only Tilak Varma, the skipper, as a contracted player. South Zone sources confirmed the board’s advisory was received last month but chose not to alter their selection. Officials argue that national selectors should not interfere in zonal team compositions. They propose that BCCI could instead make Ranji Trophy participation mandatory for contracted players. According to them, top-tier players can continue to participate in India A matches without disrupting zonal representation. Speaking to Cricbuzz South Zone official said, “Kerala qualified for the Ranji Trophy final (for the first time in the competition’s history of 90 editions) and lost it narrowly. They had a remarkable season and their players deserved selection for the Duleep Trophy." Read also: Rajeev Shukla reveals culprit behind boos against Hardik Pandya Domestic performers prioritized, zonal hierarchy maintained The finalized 15-member squad includes four players from Kerala, three from Hyderabad, two each from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, and one each from Pondicherry and Goa. The selection committee resolved during its meeting to prioritize domestic performance over contracted status. The decision was formally noted in the committee’s minutes. South Zone, runners-up in the previous edition, automatically secured a spot in the semifinals, which commence on September 4. The zone’s insistence on retaining its original lineup underscores a preference for domestic meritocracy over board directives, maintaining the competitive balance within the tournament. SOUTH ZONE SQUAD South Zone squad: Tilak Varma (captain), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vice-captain), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, Narayan Jagadeesan, T. Vijay, R. Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vyshak Vijaykumar, MD Nidheesh, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, and Snehal Kauthankar. Stand-by: Mohit Redkar, R Smaran, Ankit Sharma, Edhen Apple Tom, Andre Siddarth, Shaikh Rasheed.