Fans slam BCCI for no telecast of Duleep Trophy 2025 matches: 'Why on earth are they even playing?'

Six zonal teams, North, South, East, West, Central, and North East, are battling it out, beginning with the quarterfinals (Pic: PTI)

The Duleep Trophy 2025 got underway on August 28 in Bengaluru, but the excitement was marred by a glaring absence, no live telecast or streaming of the matches. With no major international or franchise cricket being played this month, fans were eagerly looking forward to the start of India's domestic red-ball season. Instead, they were left frustrated by the lack of accessibility to the games.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came under fire from fans on social media platforms, especially X, for not broadcasting one of the country's most storied domestic tournaments. The outrage was further compounded by the fact that even small-scale local T20 leagues across India are routinely streamed online.

One user vented, "No live streaming of the #DuleepTrophy. No spectators allowed. Why on earth are they even playing? This just seems to be a perfunctorily organised tournament only to fill the calendar. Why @BCCI? Even district level tennis ball tournaments are being live-streamed on YouTube."

Another post read, "No telecast for the Duleep Trophy Quarter Final matches. Shameful yet again from @BCCI @BCCIdomestic Richest Board in the World and can't even telecast their premiere Domestic tournaments."

Despite the lack of visibility, this edition of the Duleep Trophy carries particular importance. India's Test team is going through a major transition. With stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and R Ashwin having retired, and Rishabh Pant still recovering from injury, the hunt for reliable red-ball talent is on. This tournament, ranked just below the Ranji Trophy, serves as a key platform for emerging and fringe players to push their case for national selection.

Six zonal teams, North, South, East, West, Central, and North East, are battling it out, beginning with the quarterfinals. The first set of matches saw North Zone take on East Zone and Central Zone face North East Zone.

Several notable names are in action. Mohammed Shami returns from injury and is spearheading East Zone's attack. Young pacers like Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar, and spinners like Kuldeep Yadav, are also in the spotlight. Batters such as Rajat Patidar, Yash Dhull, and Deepak Chahar are hoping to make a statement.

Meanwhile, Mumbai duo Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan are under scrutiny. Iyer was controversially left out of India's Asia Cup squad despite a strong 2025, while Sarfaraz continues to pile on domestic runs without breaking into the national side.

On the flip side, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja opted out after a demanding Test series against England, choosing to rest ahead of future assignments.