Central Zone announce squad for Duleep Trophy, IPL champion named captain, while Rinku named VC

Central Zone have confirmed their squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar will lead the side as they seek to retain the domestic first-class title. Notably, the competition begins on August 23 in Bengaluru. Central Zone, however, have earned a direct qualification and received a first-round bye. They will directly play the semi-final. 

They will face the winner of the first-round contest between East Zone and North East Zone. The Duleep Trophy will be played at the Centre of Excellence grounds in Bengaluru, with the final scheduled to begin on September 6.

Meanwhile, the squad includes four players with international experience. Alongside Patidar, the team also



has Rinku Singh, left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Harsh Dubey and fast bowler Yash Thakur.

The spin department combines experience with emerging talent. Madhya Pradesh allrounder Saransh Jain, currently part of India's Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour, joins Dubey and Uttar Pradesh legspinner Zeeshan Ansari. Notably, Ansari returns to the red-ball setup after a five-year gap, having recently represented India A in Sri Lanka.

Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

Rajat Patidar (c), Aryan Juyal (wk), Saransh Jain, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Zeeshan Ansari, Aryan Pandey, Arshad Khan, Rinku Singh (vc), Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Kunal Singh Rathod (wk), Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute