New Delhi, Aug 1 — India batter Rajat Patidar has been retained as the captain of the Central Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which starts on August 23 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. With Patidar again leading defending champions Central Zone, left-handed batter Rinku Singh has been appointed as the vice-captain.
Defending champions Central Zone, who secured their seventh title after defeating South Zone by six wickets in the previous edition's final in Bengaluru, have announced a strong 15-member squad aimed at retaining the crown.
In the batting line-up, Patidar, the leading run-getter in last year’s Duleep Trophy and a two-time IPL-winning skipper, will have the likes of Rinku, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Ayush Pandey, Aryan Juyal and Yash Rathod, Player of the Match in last year’s final with a majestic 194, to outclass opposition bowlers.
The bowling unit boasts a blend of pace and spin, led by seamers Yash Thakur, Arshad Khan, Aryan Pandey, and Nachiket Bhute. The spin department will be spearheaded by off-spinner Saransh Jain, who was the leading wicket-taker in last year’s competition with 16 scalps, and left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey, along with leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari.