India, Aug. 1 -- 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.

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, mea...