Umran Malik is likely to join Duleep Trophy after dengue recovery

Indian pacer Umran Malik has fully recovered from a recent bout of dengue and is now focused on returning to the cricket field. With the Duleep Trophy scheduled to kick off on September 5, 2024, the speedster is preparing to make an impact in the domestic tournament.

Recovery and preparation at NCA

After recovering from dengue, Umran Malik has joined the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where he is training to get back in shape for the upcoming season. Umran, who made his international debut for India in 2022, has played 10 ODIs and 8 T20Is, taking 13 and 11 wickets respectively. His best figures in ODIs are 3/48, and he has shown flashes of brilliance despite his limited international experience.

Umran said, "I am feeling better and now I am fully focused on the preparation of the Duleep trophy at NCA. I hope, I will be doing good in this season for my team."

The pacer made his first-class debut in 2021, where he has taken 16 wickets in 12 games at an average of 44.62. His best performance in first-class cricket so far has been 3/25, but Umran is keen to improve these numbers during the Duleep Trophy.

IPL success and future aspirations

Umran shot to fame during IPL 2022, where he showcased his raw pace and talent, claiming 22 wickets in 14 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He finished the season as SRH's leading wicket-taker and the overall fourth-highest wicket-taker with a remarkable average of 20.18, including a five-wicket haul.

With the Duleep Trophy serving as the curtain-raiser to India’s red-ball domestic season, Umran will be up against top stars and rising talents, hoping to reclaim his rhythm and push for a spot in the national team. The tournament will be held in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, and Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Umran will be looking to prove his mettle once again.

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The four squads for the first round of the tournament

Team A: Shubman Gill (C), Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat.

Team B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK).

Team C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Umran Malik, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.

Team D: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar.