Gurnoor Brar added to North Zone squad for Duleep semi-finals against South Zone

Pacer Gurnoor Brar has been added to North Zone’s squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy semifinal against South Zone, beginning Sunday (August 30) at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Gurnoor was part of India’s squad for the two‑match Test series in Sri Lanka but did not get a game, with the Shubman Gill‑led side sticking to Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj. The 26‑year‑old is expected to walk straight into North Zone’s playing XI, as the All‑India senior men’s selection committee wants him to gain as much red‑ball experience as possible before India travel to New Zealand for their next ICC World Test Championship assignment in November.

The Punjab pacer has taken 62 wickets in 19 first‑class matches at an average of 25.24, including two five‑wicket hauls. He registered figures of 10 for 145 in the second unofficial Test of India A’s tour of Sri Lanka A in July, guiding his side to a 10‑wicket win. He was also part of India’s squad for the one‑off Test against Afghanistan at home before the Sri Lanka series but did not get a look‑in.

Gurnoor made his ODI debut against Afghanistan in Dharamsala on June 13 and played three matches in that five‑game series. The selectors also picked him for the three‑match ODI tour of England, where he featured in all three fixtures. He has taken 11 wickets in six ODIs at an average of 32.81 and an economy rate of 6.96.

Meanwhile, North Zone defeated West Zone by 52 runs in the second quarterfinal, with slow left‑arm orthodox bowler Abid Mushtaq starring in the win by claiming nine wickets.

North Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2026-27:

 Kanhaiya Wadhawan (captain, wk), Sanat Sangwan, Qamran Iqbal, Yash Dhull, Ayush Doseja, Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni (vice‑captain), Nishant Sindhu, Arjun Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Arshdeep Singh, Sunil Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, Yudhvir Singh, Nikhil Kashyap, Gurnoor Brar