Rajat Patidar will lead the defending champions, Central Zone, in the 2026-27 edition of the Duleep Trophy, with India batter Rinku Singh named his deputy.
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.
Having beaten South Zone in last year’s final, Central will open their campaign in the semi-final on August 30 at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, three days after India’s Test series concludes in Sri Lanka. Patidar had led Central to the title last year, finishing as the highest run-getter in the tournament with 382 runs, including a century in the final in Bengaluru.
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