The 63rd edition of the Duleep Trophy is set to launch the 2026-27 Indian domestic cricket season on Sunday, August 23. As a premier tournament, this year’s competition is particularly significant for players aiming to break into the national Test squad. With the Indian team facing injury concerns and a competitive selection process, strong performances in this tournament could prove vital for those eyeing upcoming tours, including the series against New Zealand and the home campaign against Australia.
The tournament retains the six-team zonal format used in the previous season, with squads selected by their respective zonal committees. The competition structure begins with a quarterfinal round: East Zone will face North East Zone, while West Zone takes on North Zone. Last year’s finalists, Central Zone and South Zone, have been granted direct entry into the semifinals.
Matches will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 and 2 in Bengaluru for the quarterfinals and semifinals. The final is scheduled to take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, a venue change intended to accommodate larger crowds that the Bengaluru facility could not support.
Leadership roles for the six teams have been confirmed. Reigning champions Central Zone will be led by Rajat Patidar, who recently captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second IPL title. South Zone will be captained by India’s T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma. Other captains include Ruturaj Gaikwad for West Zone, Ishan Kishan for East Zone, veteran all-rounder Rongsen Jonathan for North East Zone, and wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhwan for North Zone, the latter supported by a strong contingent from the recent Ranji Trophy-winning Jammu & Kashmir side.
A major point of interest is 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose red-ball adaptability will be tested. The East Zone selection committee has named him vice-captain to foster his development, providing a clear look at how the young talent handles increased responsibility. Additionally, R Smaran, who led the previous Ranji Trophy run-charts with 950 runs, is looking to make a statement after being overlooked for the A tour of Sri Lanka in June.
The tournament also serves as a platform for fringe players and veterans. With the search for a reserve opener and backup pace options ongoing, the performance of players like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ayush Pandey, and Aman Mokhade will be closely monitored. In the bowling department, Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj are aiming to regain their spots in the national reckoning. Meanwhile, experienced campaigners like Mohammed Shami and Karun Nair are participating with the goal of proving they remain viable candidates for the Test setup.
The squads are as follows: Central Zone features Rajat Patidar (captain), Rinku Singh (vice-captain), Aryan Juyal, Saransh Jain, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Zeeshan Ansari, Aryan Pandey, Arshad Khan, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Kunal Singh Rathod, Yash Thakur, and Nachiket Bhute. East Zone includes Ishan Kishan (captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (vice-captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, Subhranshu Senapati, Denish Das, and Abhijit Sarkar.
North Zone is composed of Kanhaiya Wadhawan (captain), Ayush Badoni (vice-captain), Sanat Sangwan, Yash Dhull, Ayush Doseja, Abdul Samad, Nishant Sindhu, Qamran Iqbal, Arjun Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Arshdeep Singh, Sunil Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, Nikhil Kashyap, and Sahil Lotra. North East Zone consists of Rongsen Jonathan (captain), Bishworjit Singh Konthoujam (vice-captain), Techi Neri, Priyojit K, Ronald Meitei, Jotin Singh Pheiroijam, Kishan Lyngdoh, Arpit Subhas, Akash Kumar Choudhary, Joseph Lalthankhuma, Lalrempouia, Imliwati Lemtur, Vino G Zhimomi, Robin Limboo, and Ashish Thapa.
South Zone features Tilak Varma (captain), Ricky Bhui (vice-captain), Abhinav Tejrana, Shaik Rasheed, K M Himateja, R Smaran, Narayan Jagadeesan, Karun Nair, Tanay Thyagarajan, Shreyas Gopal, K Sai Teja, Tripurana Vijay, Vidwath Kaverappa, Aman Khan, and M D Nideesh. Finally, West Zone includes Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Shams Mulani (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Musheer Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Tanush Kotian, Harvik Desai, Jaymeet Patel, Urvil Patel, Siddharth Desai, Atit Sheth, Prithvi Shaw, Shivalik Sharma, Mukesh Choudhary, and Jay Gohil. The report also notes that here’s everything you need to know about the Duleep Trophy 2026-27 season, with the tournament offering an early glimpse into India’s next set of Test hopefuls. The report also notes that the six-team zonal format has been retained for the upcoming edition, with the squads picked by their respective zonal selection committees, but like in 2025-26. The report also notes that this edition of the tournament holds significance in light of Indian cricket’s bench strength in Tests, aside from it being one of the country’s most prestigious domestic competitions. The report also notes that what are the major talking points and who are the players to watch out for. The report also notes that what’s interesting is the fact that the East Zone selection committee has appointed him vice-captain in a bid to catalyse his development as a cricketer and the next few weeks could provide an early insight into how the 15-year old embraces additional responsibility.
