CHENNAI: EVEN as the Indian team is gearing up for the men’s T20 Asia Cup, all eyes will be on the star players who will take the field in the opening round of Duleep Trophy from Friday.

Set to be played at the BCCI- Centre of Excellence, the first round of the tournament will be the curtain raiser for the domestic season featuring the likes Dhruv Jurel, Arshdeep Singh, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Kuldeep Yadav and others. India Test captain Shubman Gill was initially set to lead North Zone but having been down with viral fever, it seems unlikely for him to play. For after the first round fixture, he is expected to join the Indian team for the Asia Cup.

Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who was warming the bench through the five-Test series in England, will have a point to prove and same will be the case for Kuldeep Yadav who will be turning out for Central Zone. Much like them, Easwaran will have the extra motivation to make a statement with the bat as he leads East Zone in the absence of Ishan Kishan against North Zone.