Dikshant Kundal and Tahir Bhat, two standout performers in the T20 trial matches held by JKCA earlier this year, have been left out of J&K’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The association announced the squad earlier today, making only two changes from the Ranji Trophy lineup: Paras Dogra and Umar Nazir miss out, while Nasir Lone and Murugan Ashwin come in.

“What are the trials for then? If exceptional performances in trial matches don’t count, what’s the point of holding them?” a former cricketer told KSW.

Concerns have also been raised over format mixing, with JKCA continuing to favour players from the multi-day setup.

“T20 and Tests are completely different, aren’t they? How can you pick the same set of players for every format? I agree J&K is doing well in Ranji Trophy, but are these players equally suited for T20s? I don’t think so,” the cricketer added.

KSW tried reaching out to the chairman senior selection committee of JKCA, but hasn’t received a response yet. As and when they respond, we will update this story.

J&K is placed in Group B in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and will face Maharashtra in their opening match on November 26.