Ajit Agarkar attends Duleep Trophy 2026 final Day 1 at Chepauk days after missing BCCI review meeting

Ajit Agarkar, India's chief selector, was spotted in the stands at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final on Sunday, September 6, 2026. His presence at Chepauk came just days after he was absent from a BCCI review meeting held in Mumbai on September 3, 2026.

A post on X drew attention to Agarkar's attendance at the ground, prompting fresh discussion about his position and the circumstances surrounding the missed meeting. Agarkar was accompanied by a couple of fellow selectors, while two other selectors were separately expected in Delhi for India's T20I series against Afghanistan.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had addressed Agarkar's absence from the Mumbai meeting shortly after it concluded.

"He was out of station. He could not be a part of the meeting because this meeting was called at very short notice, and our head of the selection committee, Ajit, was not in town, so he could not join it. He was in such an area that he could not join online, in spite of our best efforts," Saikia told reporters.

The meeting included Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman.

Reports had circulated suggesting the BCCI was looking for a new chief selector and that Agarkar's contract would not be extended beyond September. The BCCI denied those claims, insisting his contract through July 2027 remains intact. A separate report placed his contract end date in early October, with a possible extension discussion involving Saikia, but that date conflicts with the July 2027 figure and remains unresolved.

Duleep Trophy 2026 final: squads and match context

Agarkar had also been visible during India's recently concluded Test series in Sri Lanka, where cameras captured him at both Test matches.

The Duleep Trophy 2026 final is a five-day red-ball contest between South Zone and East Zone. Selectors asked Mohammed Siraj, Devdutt Padikkal, and KL Rahul to represent South Zone in the final. Siraj and Padikkal joined the South Zone squad, while Rahul was unavailable. East Zone's squad features notable names including Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ishan Kishan. The latter won the toss and elected to bat first on Day 1.

Also Read - Duleep Trophy 2026: 3 players who are missing the final

The final is serving as an audition for players with India A Test commitments on the horizon. Five India A Test matches are scheduled over the coming two months, with fixtures against Australia at home and New Zealand away.