Ruturaj Gaikwad named West Zone captain for Duleep Trophy 2026

In a series of interesting events, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad as been named as the captain for the West Zone for the upcoming Duleep Trophy season, which will start from August 23 with the final round on September 10. Notably, India's star pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was given the leadership duties of the West Zone side. Under the leadership of Thakur, West Zone managed to reach the semi-finals fixture, but failed to reach the finals.

Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead West Zone in Duleep Trophy

For those unaware, all the games of the domestic competition will be played at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) grounds in Bengaluru. 

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With an aim of reaching the final this time, the West Zone selectors have named a star-studded squad led by Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Mumbai's star all-rounder Shams Mulani has been picked as the vice-captain of the side.

The squad also consists of several top performers of domestic circuit, including Prithvi Shaw, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Mukesh Chaudhary, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande, adding further strength to the lineup.

West Zone's squad for Duleep Trophy:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Shams Mulani (vice-captain), Harvik Desai (wk), Urvil Patel (wk), Jaymeet Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Shivalik Sharma, Siddharth Desai, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Atit Sheth, Mukesh Chaudhary, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, and Tushar Deshpande.

Reserve players: Jay Gohil, Aarya Desai, Arshin Kulkarni, Mahesh Pithiya, Vishal Jayswal, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.