Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise continued as he was trusted with a leadership role by the East Zone for the 2026 Duleep Trophy. The 15-year-old will be star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan’s deputy in the zonal tournament, which will take place next month at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE).
Vaibhav’s promotion to a leadership role is an interesting development, as this means that Abhimanyu Easwaran has been removed from the role. The Bengal cricket team skipper not just leads his state but has also captained the zonal team as well as India-A several times in the past. He was also the skipper of one of the four sides when the Duleep Trophy took place in a different location with four teams (India A, India B, India C, India D) selected by the national selectors. However, in a zonal format, each zone has its own selectors.
The Bengal team is a strong one, as it includes five capped Indian players, with Ishan and Vaibhav currently being part of the national team squad. The biggest name is Mohammed Shami, who is among the greatest bowlers his country has produced as he continues to fight to make a comeback to the Indian team. Pacer Mukesh Kumar and all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed have also played international cricket in the past. Easwaran never got his debut but has been of the senior squad on multiple occasions in the past.
Riyan Parag has not been named in the squad but it is assumed that the Assamese star is injured after undergoing surgery post the 2026 IPL.
Duleep Trophy 2026
For those unversed, the tournament is a first-class competition played between the six zonal teams of the country. The East Zone will play the Northeast Zone in the quarter-final. North Zone will face West Zone, as both Central and South Zones have been awarded a bye to the semi-finals.
The tournament will start on August 23, while the final is scheduled to begin on 6th September.
East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy: Ishan Kishan (captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (vice-captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, Subhranshu Senapati,, Denish Das, Abhijit Sarkar.
Stand-bys: Ayush Loharuka, Sridam Paul, Sambit S. Baral, Sharandeep Singh, Swastik Samal