Three Sikkim players in NE Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

The North East Zonal Selection Committee met in Guwahati on August 11 to finalise the 15-member NE Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The meeting was attended by selectors from six NE states (Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim) that comprise the NE Zone.

From Sikkim, the following three players have been selected in the squad: Mr. Palzor Tamang (All-Rounder); Ankur Malik (All-Rounder); Ashish Thapa (Wicket-Keeper Batsman)

Additionally, the committee has named seven Stand-by players, which includes Mr. Lee Yong Lepcha from Sikkim.

Mr. Sonam Palden Bhutia, the Senior Men’s Team coach of Sikkim, has been appointed the Assistant Coach of the North East Zone team.

Prior to the tournament, a one-week camp will be held at Nagaland Cricket Association Ground in Dimapur from August 18 to 24.

The Duleep Trophy will be held in Karnataka this year, with the facilities in newly constructed BCCI Centre of Excellence being used for the games.

This will be the 62nd edition of the Duleep Trophy, a premier domestic first-class cricket competition in India. The tournament has returned to a zonal format this year, featuring six teams, viz. Central Zone, East Zone, North Zone, North East Zone, South Zone and West Zone.

The North East Zone team has featured in Duleep Trophy since 2022, when the zonal format was reinstated and expanded to include them. They also competed in the 2023 edition.

In 2024, the tournament was contested by four teams, viz. India A, B, C, and D, deviating from the usual zonal structure.

This season, the Duleep Trophy will follow a knockout format, unlike last year’s round-robin format. The finalists from the previous zonal edition (2023), South Zone and West Zone, will directly play in the semifinals.

The other four teams – Central, East, North and North East – will compete in the quarterfinals. NEZ will face Central Zone.

The first two quarterfinals are scheduled for August 28-31.

Player Profiles

ASHISH THAPA, Wicket-keeper Batsman

Thirty-two-year-old Ashish Thapa is Sikkim’s leading First-Class run-scorer with 1,671 runs. He has scored three centuries and five fifties with a highest score of 157.

He is the first homegrown player from Sikkim to score a century in First-Class cricket, a milestone achieved during a 2022 Ranji Trophy match against Bihar at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

ANKUR MALIK, All-rounder

Ankur Malik, 21, is a leg-spin bowler and right-handed batter. He has claimed 58 First-Class wickets including two five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul.

With the bat, he has scored 1,051 runs at an impressive average of 45.69, including three centuries.

PALZOR TAMANG, All-rounder

The 32-year-old right-arm medium pacer is Sikkim’s most successful First-Class bowler with 87 wickets to his name.

With the bat, he has contributed 1,157 runs, including two centuries.

In January 2020, he created history by becoming the first homegrown cricketer from Sikkim to take a five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. He later became the first player from the state to reach 50 First-Class wickets.