Duleep Trophy 2026: Rajat Patidar To Lead Central Zone, Rinku Singh Named Deputy

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar is set to don a new hat and lead Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026, which is set to start later this month. Besides Patidar, Indian middle-order batsman Rinku Singh will be the second in command to Patidar. Saransh Jain, who recently got his maiden India call-up, has also been named in the squad. However, Jain will not be part of the Duleep Trophy in the opening match as he will be away in Sri Lanka on national duties.

Jain is tipped to make his Test debut at Galle since off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out of the first match. The Duleep Trophy is set to be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence from August 23 to September 10, with Central Zone naming Rajat Patidar as captain and Rinku Singh as his deputy.

The development comes ahead of India's two-Test series, with the first Test scheduled to begin on August 15 at the Galle International Stadium and the second Test slated to start in Colombo from August 23.

Central Zone have assembled a strong squad for the domestic tournament, with Aryan Juyal and Kunal Singh Rathod included as wicketkeeping options.

Duleep Trophy 2026: Central Zone Squad

Central Zone Squad: Rajat Patidar (captain), Rinku Singh (vice-captain), Aryan Juyal (wicketkeeper), Saransh Jain, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Zeeshan Ansari, Aryan Pandey, Arshad Khan, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Kunal Singh Rathod (wicketkeeper), Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute.

Stand-by Players: Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav and Kumar Kartikeya.