RCB captain Rajat Patidar to lead Central Zone in title defence of Duleep Trophy

RCB captain Rajat Patidar will be leading Central Zone as they look to retain their crown during the Duleep Trophy 2026 tournament in August. Rinku Singh will serve as Patidar's vice-captain.

In Short

• Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur add India experience
• Saransh Jain joins after Sri Lanka tour call, bolstering spin resources
• The Duleep Trophy gets underway on August 23 at the BCCI COE in Bengaluru

Rajat Patidar will return to the Duleep Trophy as Central Zone captain, tasked with leading the defending champions in the opening domestic tournament of the season. The Central Zone squad has a strong international presence, with India players Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur also included. Dubey provides the side with a left-arm spin-bowling all-round option, while Thakur strengthens the pace department.

Patidar will be joined by Madhya Pradesh teammate Saransh Jain, who is currently part of India's Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Jain is expected to spearhead the spin unit alongside Dubey and Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari.

Ansari recently returned to red-ball cricket after a five-year absence and impressed during India A's tour of Sri Lanka, earning his place in the Central Zone setup.

The selectors have also rewarded Vidarbha opener Aman Mokhade for an outstanding Ranji Trophy campaign. Mokhade enjoyed a breakthrough 2025-26 season, scoring 760 runs from 11 innings at an average of 76, performances that subsequently earned him an India A call-up. Chhattisgarh opener Ayush Pandey, who also featured for India A in Sri Lanka, has been picked as another top-order option.

Vidarbha batter Yash Rathod adds further depth to the batting line-up. Having built a strong record over the last couple of domestic seasons, Rathod is expected to occupy an important role in the middle order alongside Patidar.

The pace attack will feature Yash Thakur, Vidarbha's Nachiket Bhute and Madhya Pradesh's left-arm swing bowler Arshad Khan. Behind the stumps, Uttar Pradesh's Aryan Juyal is likely to take the gloves, with Kunal Singh Rathore providing the backup option.

Central Zone's status as reigning champions means they will not have to play in the opening round. They enter the competition directly in the semi-finals on August 30, where they will face either East Zone or North East Zone.

The Duleep Trophy gets underway on August 23 at the Centre of Excellence grounds in Bengaluru, while the title clash is 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

- Ends