In decades gone by, the Duleep Trophy was considered as a stepping stone for players aiming to break into the Indian Test team. Even though the zonal competition no longer retains that allure, getting picked for the season-opener is a considerable boost for the top performers of the previous Ranji Trophy campaign.
Ask Sanat Sangwan. Although Sanat will go into the First Class tournament on the back of playing T20 cricket in the Delhi Premier League, the left-hander’s preparation in recent weeks had covered all bases. “Along with playing in the DPL, I had been practising against the red ball. To do well in red-ball cricket, you have to work harder. It is a more difficult format for openers since we have to face the new ball.
The Delhi opener grabbed eyeballs in the 2025-26 Ranji season, racking up 828 runs — third in the list of highest scorers behind Karnataka’s R. Smaran and teammate Ayush Doseja — in 14 innings at an average of 69. The 25-year-old has been deservedly rewarded with a spot in the North Zone squad, which begins its Duleep Trophy campaign against West Zone at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Sunday.
I tend to prepare more for red-ball cricket in the off-season,” Sanat said during a media interaction in the National capital.