Rajat Patidar to lead Central Zone's Duleep Trophy title defence; Rinku Singh named vice-captain

Rajat Patidar will lead Central Zone's Duleep Trophy title defence, with Rinku Singh named deputy for 2026-27 campaign.

Updated on: Aug 1, 2026, 19:06:12 IST

Written by Probuddha Bhattacharjee

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Rajat Patidar will continue as captain of defending champions Central Zone in the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy, with India batter Rinku Singh appointed as his deputy for the red-ball tournament beginning on August 23. Central Zone defeated South Zone in last season’s final have earned direct entry into the semi-finals. They will begin their title defence at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on August 30.

Rajat Patidar has been named the captain of Central Zone for the Duleep Trophy. (X images)

Patidar led Central Zone to their first Duleep Trophy title in a decade last season and played a decisive role in the successful campaign. The Madhya Pradesh batter finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, accumulating 382 runs and scoring a century in the final against South Zone in Bengaluru. Rinku Singh, meanwhile, returns to the Central Zone setup after missing out on selection last season. The Uttar Pradesh batter has now been handed a leadership role as Patidar’s vice-captain.

Saransh Jain included after maiden India Test call-up

Patidar’s Madhya Pradesh teammate Saransh Jain has also been included in the 15-member squad. Jain recently received his maiden India Test call-up for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. The Test series is scheduled to conclude on August 27, meaning Jain is expected to be available for Central Zone’s semi-final, which begins three days later.

Vidarbha opener Aman Mokhade has earned a place following an impressive Ranji Trophy campaign last season. The 25-year-old scored 760 runs in 11 innings, although Vidarbha narrowly missed out on qualification for the knockout stage. Mokhade was subsequently selected for India A’s unofficial Test tour of Sri Lanka, where he scored 49 during a 10-wicket victory in Galle. His Vidarbha teammate Yash Rathod has also been included in the Central Zone squad.

Vidarbha pacers Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute are expected to lead the pace attack alongside Madhya Pradesh seam-bowling all-rounder Arshad Khan. India left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey will be Central Zone’s leading spin option, while the selectors have continued to back Uttar Pradesh wrist-spinner Zeeshan Ansari.

Ansari had been away from first-class cricket for nearly six years before recently returning to the red-ball format. Despite his limited recent experience, the 26-year-old has remained on the national selectors’ radar. He was picked as a net bowler for India’s home Test against Afghanistan in June before travelling with the India A squad for the unofficial Test series in Sri Lanka. Ansari, however, went wicketless in the second unofficial Test.

Aryan Juyal and Kunal Singh Rathod are the two wicketkeeping options in the squad. Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav, and Kumar Kartikeya have been named as stand-by players.

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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.

Support staff: Nikhil Doru (head coach), Manish Jha (assistant coach), Deshraj Chouhan (physio), Chandrashekhar Rao (video analyst), Mohit Kumar (masseur), Mayank Agrawal (trainer) and Zuffri Zakeria (manager).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Probuddha Bhattacharjee
Probuddha Bhattacharjee is a sports writer and analyst with expertise spanning cricket, football, and multi-sport events, with a strong emphasis on data-driven journalism and tactical storytelling. He currently focuses on international cricket, the Indian Premier League, global tournaments, and emerging trends shaping modern sport, blending advanced statistics with strong narrative context to explain performance, strategy, and decision-making. His work aims to bridge the gap between numbers and storytelling, helping readers understand not just what happened on the field, but the tactical and structural reasons behind it. Trained in data journalism through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data Journalism Lab, Probuddha works extensively with ball-by-ball datasets, performance metrics, and trend-based modelling to produce evidence-backed reports, explainers, and long-form features. His analytical approach focuses not only on outcomes but also on process—selection strategies, phase-wise tactics, workload management, and the influence of preparation and planning on match results. He is particularly interested in how statistical patterns reshape conventional cricketing narratives and provide clearer tactical insight for modern audiences. Beyond cricket, Probuddha has written analytical and news-driven pieces on football and other major sporting events, with a growing interest in sports governance, scheduling dynamics, and the economics of elite competitions. He also tracks how rule changes, franchise structures, and broadcast pressures influence the evolution of contemporary sport. He has previously contributed to platforms such as OneCricket, Sportskeeda, and CrickTracker, and continues to specialise in analytical storytelling, live coverage, and audience-focused reporting. His work prioritises clarity, context, and credibility, while consistently exploring innovative ways to present data through accessible narratives and structured match analysis.Read More

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