The Nagaland Cricket Association (NCA) hosted the North East Zone Preparatory Camp for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025–26, held from August 18 to 24 at the association’s facilities. This marks the second occasion that Nagaland has organized the zonal camp, underscoring its growing prominence in India’s domestic cricket circuit.
The week-long camp was an intensive training platform for the North East Zone squad ahead of their scheduled fixture against Central Zone, set to take place from August 28 to 31 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The match is expected to be a challenging contest, with Central Zone fielding several seasoned Team India players including Dhruv Jurel (Captain), Rajat Patidar, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, and Khaleel Ahmed.
The Duleep Trophy remains one of India’s premier first-class tournaments, offering zonal teams a competitive stage to showcase emerging talent. It plays a vital role in strengthening the domestic cricket structure and serves as a key pathway for national selection.
The North East Zone squad comprises players from six states, led by Jonathan Rongsen of Nagaland as captain and Akash Kumar Choudhary of Meghalaya as vice-captain.
The full team includes:
Nagaland: Jonathan Rongsen (C), Sedezhalie Rupero, Hem Bahadur Chetri
Meghalaya: Akash Kumar Choudhary (VC), Arpit Subash Bhatewara, Aryan Borah
Sikkim: Ashish Thapa, Palzor Tamang, Ankur Malik
Manipur: Pheiroijam Jotin Singh, Yumnam Karnajit, Bishworjit Singh Konthoujam, Lamabam Ajay Singh
Mizoram: Jehu Anderson
Arunachal Pradesh: Techi Doria
The support staff includes Anant Rangarao (Head Coach, Arunachal), Sonam Palden Bhutia (Assistant Coach, Sikkim), Mowalong Kichu (Physio, Nagaland), Vikash Singh Chauhan (Strength & Conditioning Coach, Meghalaya), Ngangbam Maheshkumar Singh (Masseur, Manipur), and Raj Kumar Joshi (Team Manager, Mizoram).
NCA hosts NE Zone preparatory camp for Duleep Trophy 2025-26
DIMAPUR, AUG 24 (NPN)