The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been upset over the exclusion of top international stars KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj from the South Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. In response the board has sent official e-mail to all state associations urging them to give priority to centrally contracted players for the domestic season opener. The problem started when South Zone announced their squad on July 27 without naming well-known players including Rahul Siraj Washington Sundar Prasidh Krishna and Sai Sudharsan. Many people believe that the Duleep Trophy which will start in Bengaluru on August 28 is a crucial stage for talent at the national and local levels. Even though these players were available during the current off-season South Zones decision to exclude them did not sit well with everyone. Abey Kuruvilla sends email to state association and zonal convenors Abey Kuruvilla the General Manager of Cricket Operations for the BCCI sent state association and zonal convenors an email last week addressing the matter. The Indian Express claims that Kuruvilla stressed in the email the importance of guaranteeing the participation of all Indian players in order to preserve the Duleep Trophys reputation and level of competition. To uphold its prestige and ensure the highest quality of competition it’s imperative that all currently available India players are selected for their respective zonal teams Kuruvilla wrote. Requesting the Zonal Convenors to ensure that all the current Indian players who are available to play the Duleep Trophy should be picked. he added BBCI warned players against giving the IPL priority over first-class cricket The directive follows BCCI’s longstanding policy that mandates international players’ participation in domestic tournaments. Earlier this year the board warned players against giving the IPL priority over first-class cricket and reminded all centrally contracted players to adhere to the domestic schedule. This requirement was further emphasized after India’s Test tour of Australia in January. Even though South Zone had already revealed their squad when the BCCI sent instructions it is still unknown if the selectors will change their roster. None of the prominent international players in question were selected to captain the South Zone squad which was led by Tilak Varma. However other players like Shubman Gill Yashasvi Jaiswal Kuldeep Yadav Akash Deep Mohammed Shami Arshdeep Singh and Shreyas Iyer will participate and play for their respective zones. Ranji stars ignored due to inclusion of India players State associations have previously expressed concern that Ranji players who have performed consistently throughout the season are left out of the zonal squads due to the automatic inclusion of India stars. Many argue that international players would perform better on India A tours and in matches like the Board Presidents XI preserving zonal tournaments as a means of rewarding homegrown players. The BCCI has clarified that any player looking for national selection must take part in domestic tournaments unless specifically exempted by both the national coach and selection committee with prior approval from the board. In his email Kuruvilla stressed that leave will be granted only for valid and cogent reasons. As in the previous season teams are now chosen by zonal selectors instead of the national panel for the Duleep Trophy which has returned to a zonal format this year. Story Highlight BCCI has been upset over the exclusion of top international stars KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj from the South Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The General Manager of Cricket Operations for the BCCI sent state association and zonal convenors an email last week addressing the matter. The directive follows BCCI’s longstanding policy that mandates international players’ participation in domestic tournaments. The BCCI has made it clear that any player looking for national selection must take part in domestic tournaments