The Duleep Trophy is one of India's premier domestic red-ball competitions, and it served as a proving ground for young players as well as senior stars. The tournament's latest edition is eagerly awaited, as a deep regional team was chosen from the BCCI's Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. A teenage sensation, who just equaled the record of being the youngest half-century scorer in international innings, will be looking to continue his white-ball dream run in the longest format of the game.
Wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan was named captain of the East Zone team, which also includes a 15-year-old budding talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The youngster made stunning headlines after being named the deputy captain. In addition, the unit has a potent
pace battery and aggressive top-order batters, including Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. The East Zone has a significant void to fill in as several key performers, including Riyan Parag and Akash Deep, are injured and unavailable for the tournament.
East Zone squad: Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 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.
🚨 EAST ZONE LEADERSHIP IN DULEEP TROPHY: Captain - Ishan Kishan Vice Captain - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi pic.twitter.com/IxUvS3JRA1
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 29, 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw to headline West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2026
The Duleep Trophy is set to begin in Bengaluru, where the West Zone has assembled a stellar team of multi-dimensional players. The region's captain is star opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led the Chennai Super Kings in the just-concluded campaign and served as the vice-captain for India 'A'. He is expected to contribute significantly with his vast experience to the balanced West Zone squad, which boasts Mumbai and national team stars.
Gaikwad's opening partner Prithvi Shaw will be a special attraction in the multi-day competition. The exciting batter has returned to the multi-day zonal tournament after being overlooked in the previous edition. Shaw switched states to play for Maharashtra this year and produced some extraordinary performances en route to topping the Ranji Trophy scoring charts with 537 runs at an incredible average of 48.84. His 222 against Chandigarh in 156 balls would have been the quickest century in first-class cricket if not for two other thrilling performances. This is a great chance for Shaw to re-establish himself in the top echelons of the game, having had a tough time finding a place in the IPL in 2024.
West Zone squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shams Mulani, Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Tanush Kotian, Harvik Desai, Urvil Patel, Jaymeet Patel, Siddharth Desai, Atit Sheth, Shivalik Sharma, and Mukes Choudhary.
