For the two successive seasons the premier domestic tournament in India, Ranji Trophy is said to be called off. BCCI had suspended the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season on January 4, one day before the teams were scheduled to be starting their bio-bubble. As the reports claim that BCCI will cancel the Ranji Trophy due to the close window of IPL 2022, eight teams have requested BCCI to conduct the Ranji Trophy this season.

Read Also: BCCI clears players' due match fees for the 2020-21 season

BCCI had stated that they will resume the Ranji trophy two weeks after the postponement. However, as more emphasis on the IPL 2022 is given, it is more likely to not happen. During the office-bearer's meeting held last Tuesday, it was decided that BCCI will try to host the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 in the last week of February.

Although, the BCCI will need at least 75 days to conclude the Ranji Trophy 2021-22. Now, as the IPL 2022 is about to start from March 27, the bio-bubble will start from the third week of March. If IPL is shifted overseas, BCCI will only have the whole month of February and two weeks of March. Therefore, they will only have 45 days to complete the whole Ranji season. This seems quite impossible.

Read Also: Players who will miss IPL 2022

Ranji Trophy 2021-22: Associations want BCCI to host the group stages atleast

It is reported that eight state associations have requested BCCI to explore the option to at least host the group stages of the tournament. In that case, they will only need 39 days, including the quarantine period to complete the group stages.

Although everything was done informally, BCCI is very non-committal about their decision. However, they have informed those associations to try their best to host the tournament.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has announced Team India for India's tour of England today i.e. Saturday, 24 May. Along with the ENG vs IND 2025 squad announcement of the team, he also announced the new captain. A total of 18 players of Team India have been selected for the England tour and the command of this team has been handed over to young Shubman Gill.

Rishabh Pant has been made the vice-captain of the team. Karun Nair has returned to the Indian squad for the first time since 2017. Players like Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh have also got a place. However, Mohammed Shami has not been selected in the team.

Also Read: Every Test Captain of Indian Men's Test Cricket Team

Here's everything Agarkar said during the Press conference of ENG vs IND 2025 squad announcement.

Why was Mohammed Shami not selected?

Ajit Agarkar has confirmed that the medical team has declared Mohammed Shami unfit, due to which he has not been selected. "He's had a little bit of a setback over the past week, got some MRIs done. Wasn't going to be able to play five Tests. Don't think his workload is where he needs to be. Medical guys told he'll be ruled out. We were hoping he'll play some part, but if he's not fit, we'd rather pick guys fit and available rather than waiting," Agarkar said.

Shami played his last Test match for India in the form of WTC Final 2023.

Virat Kohli had approached for retirement in April

Ajit Agarkar revealed that Virat Kohli had approached him in April regarding retirement from Test cricket. He said, "When guys like that retire, always big holes to fill. Ashwin also retired. Those three have been stalwarts. Always difficult. One way of looking at it is, opportunity for someone else. Had conversations with both of them."

"Virat reached out early April, seem him give 200% every ball he plays even when he's not batting or on the field. Felt he'd given everything he had, if he can't keep up to the standards it was time for him. It's come from him. Have to respect that. They've earned that respect."

Jasprit Bumrah will not play all 5 Tests

Jasprit Bumrah will not play all five Tests, Ajit Agarkar confirms. The chief selector said, "Don't think he'll be available for all five Tests. Whether it's four or three, we'll see based on how the series goes and his workload is. Even if he's fit for 3-4 Tests, he'll be an asset for us. Just happy he's part of the squad.

"More important to us a player. Once you're managing people, there's a lot that takes out of you. We've had a chat with him, he's okay with it. He knows where his body's at. KL not really, he's captained a while back, he's a quality player and hope he has a big series. With Booms, it was more about his workload management.

'He’s a quality bowler'

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has been included in the squad in the absence of Mohammad Shami. Talking about Arshdeep's inclusion, Ajit Agarkar stated, "He's a quality bowler and has had a taste of counTy as well. he plays domestic when he can. A tall guy, can bowl with the new ball, has body of work in red-ball cricket and in recent form in the last couple of years. Bumrah unlikely to play all five Tests, we needed a bit of variety."

Also Read: Form? Fitness? Should Mohammad Shami be there for the England test series? Who are the other options?

Agarkar on captaincy

With Shubman Gill being appointed as India's new Test captain, Ajit Agarkar provided a massive hint that Gill could be the long-term leader of the Test team.

"We discussed every option that's there, over the last year or so, we've looked at Shubman at various times. Taken a lot of feedback from the dressing room. Very young, but there's been improvement. We're hopeful he's the guy. He's a terrific player, our best wishes to him."

"You don't pick captains for one tour or two tours. We've seen some progress over the last year or two with him. No doubt it's going to be as tough as it gets,"

Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new Test captain of the Indian Men's Test Cricket team for the five-Test series starting in England from June 20. Wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant has been appointed as the vice-captain of the team.

Also Read: LIVE: Indian Test team announcement for England tour LIVE updates | Subhman Gill named captain; Nair, Sudharsan, Easwaran, Shardul in test squad

Gill will replace Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format in May due to poor form last season, especially in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

Gill's Test career

Gill has played 32 Tests for India so far. He made his Test debut in the MCG Test on India's 2020-21 Australia tour. He has so far scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.05. There is a big difference between his average at home (42.03) and outside (27.53). The upcoming series will be Gill's first full tour.

He has also played two WTC Finals there in 2021 and 2023, and also played the fifth Test on the 2021 tour after it was postponed due to COVID-19.

India will start WTC 2025-27 cycle with five-Test series

India will start the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a five-Test series against England. They are scheduled to play the first Test at Headingley (from June 20), the second Test at Edgbaston (from July 2), the third Test at Lord's (from July 10), the fourth Test at Old Trafford (from July 23) and the final Test at The Oval (from July 31).

Every Captain of Indian Men's Test Cricket Team

Since their first Test in 1932, India have witnessed 36 Test captains across 589 matches. CK Nayudu led India in their maiden Test match in 1932 against England. However, it was only 20 years later that India tasted their first Test victory under the captaincy of Vijay Hazare against England on February 10, 1952 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Only five Indian captains – Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – have managed to notch up at least 10 Test victories. Kohli remains as India’s most successful Test captain, winning 40 of the 68 Tests he led in with a 58.82 success rate. Leading in 60 games between 2008-14, Dhoni is the second-most successful Test skipper for the country, winning 27 matches.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Indian men's test cricket team's announcement for the upcoming England tour. Chief of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir might attend the press conference to announce the Indian men's test cricket for the important England tour.

After qualifying for consecutive WTC finals, India failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final under Rohit Sharma. Now, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli already gone from the test format, India will have to fill many gaps to start the new WTC cycle. 

Who will be the next test captain? Will Mohammed Shami be picked? There are many questions which will be answered today.

So, stay tuned as we bring you all the LIVE updates of the announcement. 

Is Mohammad Shami ready to spearhead India's pace attack in the upcoming five-match Test series against England starting June 20, 2025?

With concerns over his form and fitness following a lacklustre IPL 2025 and a long injury layoff, we dive deep into whether the star pacer should be included in the squad. 

From his stellar 2023 ODI World Cup performance to recent struggles with pace and rhythm, we analyse Shami’s prospects and what he brings to the table.  Plus, we explore potential alternatives like Arshdeep Singh, Anshul Kamboj, and others who could step up if Shami’s fitness remains a concern.

With Jasprit Bumrah’s workload being managed, who else can India rely on to challenge England’s batsmen? 

With the IPL 2025 playoffs just around the corner, the tension is reaching its peak. Over the years, the Indian Premier League has given fans plenty of memorable moments full of surprises at the fag end of the group stage. Generally, the fans have to wait till the last over of the group stage to know who will qualify for the IPL Playoffs.

Sometimes, it even goes to the final ball as well, to decide the fourth team to qualify.

From teams that regularly reach the playoffs to underdogs who’ve shocked everyone, the path to the final four has always been full of drama. 

Let's take a look at the IPL Playoffs teams from 2008 to 2025.

Read Also | Most Wickets in IPL history

2008 | RR, KXIP, CSK, DD

2009 | DD, CSK, RCB, Deccan Chargers

2010 | MI, Deccan Chargers, CSK, RCB

Read Also | Most IPL Finals: Teams with most final appearances in IPL history

2011 | RCB, CSK, MI, KKR 

Read Also | IPL records: Most consecutive away wins in IPL history

2012 | DD, KKR, MI, CSK

2013 | CSK, MI, RR, SRH

2014 | KXIP, KKR, CSK, MI

2015 | CSK, MI, RCB, RR 

2016 | Gujarat Lions, RCB, SRH, KKR

2017 | MI, RPSG, SRH, KKR

2018 | SRH, CSK, KKR, RR

Read Also | SRH's poor performance and playoff hopes in IPL 2025: Can they rise?

2019 | MI, CSK, DC, SRH

2020 | MI, DC, SRH, RCB

2021 | DC, CSK, RCB, KKR

2022 | GT, RR, LSG, RCB

2023 | GT, LSG, CSK, MI

2024 | KKR, SRH, RR, RCB

2025 | GT, RCB, PBKS, MI