Rajat Patidar to Captain Central Zone in 2026–27 Duleep Trophy Defence

Rajat Patidar has been named Central Zone captain for the 2026–27 Duleep Trophy, with Rinku Singh as his deputy. He earns the role after a standout 2025–26 edition in which he was the leading run-scorer with 382 runs, including a decisive century in the final, as Central Zone beat South Zone to win the trophy.

Defence begins in the semi-finals

As holders, Central Zone go straight into the semi-finals, which start on August 30 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Players to watch

One talking point is the availability of Saransh Jain, who has just received his first India Test call-up for the tour of Sri Lanka. India’s Test series there ends on August 27, leaving him a tight turnaround, and his participation will depend on his international commitments and release.

Aman Mokhade is a notable name after scoring 760 runs in 11 innings in last season’s Ranji Trophy, which marked him out as one of the country’s most consistent domestic batters.

Zeeshan Ansari, the Uttar Pradesh wrist-spinner, is back in first-class focus after several years. He has stayed on the national radar, working as a net bowler for India’s home Test against Afghanistan earlier this year and playing for India A on their recent unofficial Test tour of Sri Lanka.

Squad

Rajat Patidar (captain), Rinku Singh (vice-captain), Aryan Juyal (wk), Saransh Jain, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Zeeshan Ansari, Aryan Pandey, Arshad Khan, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Kunal Singh Rathod (wk), Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute.

Stand-by players: Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav and Kumar Kartikeya.