Rajat Patidar was named the captain of the Central Zone team for Duleep Trophy 2026 set to be begin on August 23.
Uttar Pradesh skipper Rinku Singh will be his deputy. Central Zone is the defending champions of the tournament, having beaten South Zone in last year’s final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Skipper Patidar led from the front with a century in the final and finished as the top-scorer in the tournament last year.
Madhya Pradesh’s Saransh Jain, who recently earned a maiden call-up to the India Test team for the series against Sri Lanka, also found a place in the side.
Vidarbha pair Yash Thakur and Harsh Dubey, who have made their limited-over debuts for India are also part of the group.
Central Zone squad:
Rajat Patidar (C), Rinku Singh (VC), 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.
Reserve players: Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav and Kumar Kartikeya
