Deposed India captain Sourav Ganguly, who was suffering from 'mild tennis elbow syndrome', has been cleared to play in the Duleep Trophy match between East Zone and North Zone, beginning at Rajkot on October 20.

Sports injury expert Dr Anant Joshi and Team India physiotherapist John Gloster, who examined the left-hand batsman in Mumbai on Tuesday, felt the elbow injury has healed sufficiently.

A statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India said: "Dr Anant Joshi and John Gloster re-evaluated Sourav Ganguly's elbow and are of the opinion that it has improved enough to participate in the Duleep Trophy match, starting October 20, 2005. Participation in the match will give a better overall picture as to the status of his recovery."

The injury forced Ganguly to opt out of the recently-concluded Challenger Trophy as he was advised ten days' rest. Subsequently he was stripped of the captaincy and not included in the team for the first two one-dayers of the home series against Sri Lanka on fitness grounds.

The Duleep Trophy match thus provides him chance to return to the side, though not as captain as Rahul Dravid has been appointed to lead the team for the South Africa series as well.

It is learnt that Ganguly will head straight for Rajkot on Wednesday and join his East Zone teammates.