Yash Dhull‘s participation in the Duleep Trophy semi-final is seriously doubtful due to a hamstring injury. Before Sunday’s elimination match versus South Zone at the BCCI Center of Excellence Ground, the right-handed batter, who opens for North Zone, suffered a suspected grade two hamstring strain. As a result, team management decided to reevaluate their starting lineup.
Specialist opener Sanat Sangwan is anticipated to return to the team and partner Qamran Iqbal at the top of the order if Dhull is ruled out. Former India Under-19 captain Uday Saharan has been called up to the North Zone team as cover.
Why has Yash Dhull injury sparked a heated discussion about his selection?
An already contentious decision has come under fresh scrutiny due to the timing of the injury. The North Zone coaching staff, led by Ajay Sharma and Sarandeep Singh, decided to give Yash Dhull an opening berth and bench Sangwan for the quarterfinal matchup with West Zone. Given that Sangwan had ended as the third-highest run scorer in the previous Ranji Trophy season, that call garnered a lot of attention.
Yash Dhull, who led India to victory in the 2022 Men’s Under-19 World Cup, scored just 381 runs during the Ranji Trophy season of 2025–2026. He scored 9 and 0 while batting at the top against West Zone’s speed attack and appeared extremely uneasy at the crease, which led to more criticism of the team management’s strategy. Nevertheless, North Zone advanced to the semi-finals with a lot of energy after winning that quarterfinal by 52 runs. Prior to Sunday’s game, India pacer Gurnoor Brar has also joined the team, bolstering their bowling options.
Before the semi-final, what further roster adjustments has North Zone made?
The same source reported more squad moves outside of the Yash Dhull scenario.
A South Zone team that advanced to the semifinals as last year’s runners-up will take on North Zone. The southern team is led by India’s T20I vice captain, Tilak Varma, with the heart of their batting unit consisting of Ricky Bhui, Shaik Rasheed, Narayan Jagadeesan, and Karun Nair. Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal and left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan make up the spin department, while MD Nidheesh and Vidwath Kaverappa lead the pace attack.
