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Rajat Patidar to lead Central Zone in Duleep Trophy 2026, Rinku named vice-captain
Having beaten South Zone in the final last year, Patidar's side will open their campaign in the semi-final on August 30 at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Rajat Patidar will lead defending champions Central Zone in the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy. (PTI Photo)
Rajat Patidar will lead the defending champions, Central Zone, in the 2026-27 edition of the Duleep Trophy, starting August 23. Uttar Pradesh batter Rinku Singh, who missed out on a spot in the Central squad last year, was named as Patidar’s deputy.
Having beaten South Zone in last year’s final, Central will open their campaign in the semi-final at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Patidar had led Central to their first title in a decade last year. He emerged as the highest run-getter in the tournament with 382 runs, including a century in the final in Bengaluru.
ALSO READ | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named East Zone vice-captain for 2026-27 Duleep Trophy
Patidar’s Madhya Pradesh teammate Saransh Jain, who recently received his maiden Test call-up for India’s forthcoming tour to Sri Lanka, has also been named in the squad. With the Test tour set to conclude on August 27, Jain is expected to be available for selection for the semi-final that begins three days later on August 30.
Vidarbha opener Aman Mokhade, who enjoyed a breakout Ranji Trophy campaign last season, has been included in the side alongside statemate Yash Rathod. The 25-year-old Mokhade racked up 760 runs in 11 innings as Vidarbha narrowly missed out on the Ranji Trophy knockouts. He was recently picked for India A’s unofficial Test tour to Sri Lanka, scoring 49 runs in a 10-wicket in Galle.
ALSO READ | How a note from father, who couldn’t speak, guided Saransh Jain to India call-up
Vidarbha pacers Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute helm the bowling attack alongside MP seam all-rounder Arshad Khan. India left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey will take charge of the spin attack, with selectors taking another punt on wrist-spinner Zeeshan Ansari. The Uttar Pradesh bowler, who had last played First-Class cricket six years ago, recently returned to red-ball action after finding himself in the the national selectors’ radar.
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Despite his limited long-format profile, the 26-year-old Ansari was picked as a net bowler for India’s home Test match against Afghanistan in June. He subsequently travelled with the India A squad to Sri Lanka and went wicket-less in the second unofficial Test last month.
Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy: Rajat Patidar (captain), Rinku Singh (vice-captain), Aryan Juyal (wicketkeeper), 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
Support Staff: Nikhil Doru – Head coach, Deshraj Chouhan – Physio, Chandrashekhar Rao – VA, Mohit Kumar – Masseur, Manish Jha – Asst. Coach, Mayank Agrawal – Trainer, Zuffri Zakeria – Manager.
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