Rajat Patidar to lead as Central Zone unveils squad for Duleep Trophy 2026-27
Rajat Patidar (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 01 Aug 2026, 04:59 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar will be leading the Central Zone in the upcoming season of the Duleep Trophy. Along with him, the squad also features three more India internationals, namely Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur.
All-rounder Saransh Jain, who recently earned his maiden India call-up for the Sri Lanka tour, will lead the spin attack alongside Harsh Dubey and Uttar Pradesh legspinner Zeeshan Ansari.
Aman Mokhade has earned a place in the squad after a stellar breakthrough Ranji Trophy campaign in 2025-26, which also fetched him his maiden India A call-up. The Vidarbha opener amassed 760 runs in 11 innings at an impressive average of 76. He is joined by Chhattisgarh opener Ayush Pandey, who also made his India A debut on the tour of Sri Lanka.
The middle order will feature another in-form Vidarbha batter, Yash Rathod, whose consistent performances over the past two domestic seasons have cemented his place alongside captain Rajat Patidar.
Central Zone to directly play in semi-final
The pace attack will be spearheaded by Yash Thakur, with Vidarbha seamer Nachiket Bhute and Madhya Pradesh left-arm pacer Arshad Khan providing additional firepower. Uttar Pradesh's Aryan Juyal has been named the first-choice wicketkeeper, while Rajasthan's Kunal Singh Rathore will serve as the reserve gloveman.
As the defending champions, Central Zone have received a direct entry into the semi-finals and will begin their campaign on August 30 against the winner of the first-round clash between East Zone and North East Zone. The Duleep Trophy 2026-27 gets underway on August 23 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, with the final scheduled to begin on September 6.
Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy: Rajat Patidar (capt), Aryan Juyal (wk), Saransh Jain, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Zeeshan Ansari, Aryan Pandey, Arshad Khan, Rinku Singh (vice-captain), Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Kunal Singh Rathod (wk), Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute