Key Player Absences Shake Up Duleep Trophy Quarterfinals

Central Zone's Dhruv Jurel and East Zone's Abhimanyu Easwaran missed the start of the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals due to a groin injury and fever, respectively. Their absences were felt as the tournament got underway on Thursday.

The East Zone, already weakened by the unavailability of pacer Akash Deep and wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, faced a formidable North Zone team. In Easwaran's stead, Assamese all-rounder Riyan Parag stepped up as the replacement skipper.

Meanwhile, Central Zone was guided by Rajat Patidar, best known for leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to an IPL title this year, in a match against North East Zone. The North Zone, too, had to adjust as Ankit Kumar replaced Shubman Gill, who failed to recover from an illness in time to lead the side.