The Duleep Trophy, which will take place at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru from August 23 to September 10, will mark the beginning of Indian cricket’s domestic season for 2026–2027. Six teams—the Central Zone, East Zone, Northeast Zone, North Zone, South Zone, and West Zone—will compete in the competition.
After reaching the final the previous year, Central Zone and South Zone have advanced to the Duleep Trophy 2026–2027 semifinals. In the quarterfinals, North Zone will play West Zone, and East Zone will play Northeast Zone. Here are some of the big names from Indian cricket that will be seen in action during the Duleep Trophy 2026-27.
Here are the 5 batters to watch out for in the Duleep Trophy 2026-27 tournament:
5. Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been on the fringes of the Indian team for some time, without making it into the playing XI. Easwaran is a veteran of Indian domestic cricket, scoring runs in high volume for Bengal and the East Zone. He has 8381 runs in 113 FC matches at an average of 47.61, with 27 centuries and a best score of 233. He will look at the Duleep Trophy as a stepping stone for another shot at India’s spot.
4. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan has played two Tests for India in 2023 against the West Indies, but has remained out of favour since then. Ishan Kishan has been named the captain of the East Zone team and will look at this Duleep Trophy tournament as a chance to make his red-ball return to the Indian team, as he has done in the white-ball Indian team. His first-class record is 3893 runs in 64 games with 9 centuries and 19 fifties at an average of 39.72 and a highest score of 273.
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been constantly waiting for his chance to play for the Indian team, irrespective of the format. While he has played in T20Is and ODIs for India, a Test call-up remains elusive for Gaikwad. He has scored lots of runs in FC cricket, with 3,294 runs in 47 matches at an average of 44.51, with 9 centuries and a best score of 195. Gaikwad will lead the West Zone team, and it might be the best way to gain selectors’ attention.
2. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar will lead the Central Zone and hopes that his performance in the Duleep Trophy tournament will impress the BCCI selectors to recall him to the Indian team. He was overlooked for the recent T20I and ODI assignments despite leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two consecutive titles. Patidar has 5507 runs in 77 FC matches with 16 centuries at an average of 44.07 and a highest score of 205*. A probable Duleep Trophy win and performance with the bat might get Patidar a recall to the Indian team.
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was a surprise choice for vice-captaincy of the East Zone team under Ishan Kishan. Sooryavanshi has played just 8 FC games, scoring 207 runs at an average of 17.25 with the best score of 93. However, he has shown promise in red-ball cricket in youth Tests with 331 runs in 6 games with 2 centuries, one fifty and a best score of 113. The Duleep Trophy will be a huge learning curve for the teenager, and he can expect to gain a lot of experience from it.
