The 2024 Duleep Trophy, starting September 5, will flag off the upcoming Indian domestic season. While several India internationals will feature in the tournament, there are also some lesser-known names expected to light up the competition. Here are five such players to watch out for.

Anshul Kamboj

Kamboj was instrumental in Haryana claiming their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy last year, picking up 17 wickets from 10 matches. Following his magnificent run, he earned an IPL contract from Mumbai Indians, having an eventful debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad, when his maiden wicket of Travis Head was scrapped due to a no ball.

R Ashwin rates Kamboj highly and was all praise for the fast-bowling all-rounder on his YouTube channel: "Mark my words. This boy [has] got something.

"Recently he played for Haryana. He’s been doing the rounds. He’s been in the scheme of things for U19 cricket. He has really worked on his fitness, bowling a heavy ball. "If he bowls in the powerplay, he’s given roughly 15 runs in five overs or 18 runs in six overs. He’s very good at the death too. Bowls hard lengths with a simple action. His execution is mind boggling."

Also read: Duleep Trophy 2024: BCCI announce squads for domestic season opener

Kumar Kushagra

The Jharkhand-born wicketkeeper-batter made the headlines in the IPL auction last year after Delhi Capitals bought him for 36 times his base price at INR 7.2 crore. Kushagra is a hard-hitter of the same ilk as his state stars, Ishan Kishan and MS Dhoni. Having earned his maiden India A call-up against the England Lions in January, he could push his case to make it to the senior team with another good season.

Manav Suthar

Suthar, a tall left-arm spinner from Rajasthan, was one of the reasons behind India’s runners-up finish in the Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka last year. He ended with 10 wickets, the joint second-highest in the tournament, at an average of 19.50 and an economy of 4.20.

His ability to flight the ball besides altering the lengths came in handy in a low-scoring semi-final against Bangladesh. Chasing 211, Bangladesh were cruising at 94-1 before Suthar and Nishant Sindhu put a choke, sharing eight wickets between them. Suthar picked up 3-32, skittling the opposition for 160.

His breakthrough outing came after a stellar Ranji season for Rajasthan, where he scalped 39 wickets. He was selected as one of the leading spinners in India A’s squad against the Lions.

Tanush Kotian

A off-spin bowling all-rounder from Mumbai, Kotian is more than a capable player in both departments. He had a dream run in last year’s Ranji Trophy, with 502 runs at 41.83 and 29 wickets at 16.96, helping Mumbai to lift their 42nd title. His stellar performance earned him the Player of the Tournament.

So far, he has impressive first-class records, with 75 wickets at 26.38 and 1152 runs at 42.66, including a century and 11 fifties to his name.

Vidwath Kaverappa

Hailing from Coorg province in Karnataka, Kaverappa had to shift to Bengaluru to pursue his dream of being a cricketer. He hasn’t looked back since, claiming 80 wickets in his 20 first-class games at an average of 20.08. His fast-bowling prowess is not restricted to the red-ball format, as he picked up 18 wickets in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, recording the joint-most number of scalps by a Karnataka bowler in their debut year.

Kaverappa’s List A figures so far are equally impressive, reading 38 wickets at an average of 15.81 and an economy of 4.12, with a best of 5-17 for South Zone in Deodhar trophy last year. His six-over burst bundled up North Zone for 60, the lowest-ever total in the tournament’s history. The pacer made his maiden IPL appearance in 2024 for Punjab Kings against his state franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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