Rajat Patidar will continue to lead the Central Zone in 2026-27 Duleep Trophy as the side would aim to defend their title in the forthcoming edition. Rinku Singh has been named as the vice-captain of the side for the tournament kicking off on August 23 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE). Notably, as the Patidar-led side defeated South Zone in the last season’s finale, they have earned direct entry into the semi-finals of this season. They will begin their quest to defend the title from August 30. 

Talking about Patidar, the Madhya Pradesh-batter scored 382 runs last season and ended up leading the scoring charts with a century in the final. Talking about their squad for the upcoming season, they have names such as Rinku Singh, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Ayush Pandey, Aryan Juyal and Yash Rathod. On the bowling side of the team, names such as Yash Thakur, Arshad Khan, Aryan Pandey and Nachiket Bhute have been included. Saransh Jain, who received his maiden Test call-up for India for the Sri Lanka series, will lead the spin department. 

In addition, the selection committee has also named a six-member stand-by players list including names like Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav, and Kumar Kartikeya. 

Ishan Kishan to Lead East Zone; Ruturaj Gaikwad Named West Zone Captain 

Talking about other squads, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been handed the reins of East Zone. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the newest batting sensation will be his deputy for the 2026-27 season. The squad comprises two Test players as well including Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. However, players such as Riyan Parag and Akash Deep weren’t picked as they continue to recover from surgeries and are in rehab. 

As far as West Zone is concerned, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named the captain of the side for the next season. Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Shams Mulani has been named his deputy. A total of six players from Mumbai have also been named in the squad. These include Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Prithvi Shaw, among others.