Image Source: X
Duleep Trophy 2026: India's 2026-27 domestic cricket season is set to kick off in spectacular fashion with the Duleep Trophy 2026. Fans eagerly await this prestigious red-ball tournament organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This year, all six zones of the country North Zone, East Zone, West Zone, South Zone, Central Zone, and North East Zone will compete against each other for the title.
If you are looking for detailed information regarding the Duleep Trophy 2026 schedule, venues, captains, and the participating teams, then this blog is for you.
Duleep Trophy 2026: Match Dates and Venue Details
Image Source: X
The Duleep Trophy 2026 is scheduled to begin on August 23, 2026. The initial phase of the tournament will be held in Bengaluru, while the title clash will take place in Chennai.
- Opening Matches: Two quarter-final matches will be played on the opening day of the tournament. East Zone will face North East Zone, while North Zone will clash with West Zone in the second quarter-final.
- Venues (Bengaluru): The first four matches comprising the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played across two different grounds at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
- Final Match (Chennai): The Duleep Trophy 2026 final will be played from September 6 to 10 at the historic MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai. The BCCI has decided to shift the final to Chennai, keeping in mind the convenience of fans and the excitement of watching the match live.
- Match Timing: All matches will commence at 9:30 AM IST.
- Format: The initial matches of the tournament will be 4-day games, while the final will be a 5-day match.
Duleep Trophy 2026 Tournament Format and Direct Entries
Image Source: X
The champions of the previous season (2025), Central Zone, and the runners-up, South Zone, have been granted direct entry into the semi-finals this time.
The winners of the quarter-final matches, scheduled from August 23 to 26, will face Central Zone and South Zone in the semi-finals.
Duleep Trophy 2026 Full Schedule and Fixtures
The detailed schedule for the Duleep Trophy 2026 is provided below:
Venue - TEST
NEZ
Venue - TEST
EZ
Venue - TEST
Venue - TEST
Venue - TEST
NOTE
The tournament's semi-final matches will be held from August 30 to September 2. In the first semi-final, defending champions Central Zone (CZ) will face the winner of the first quarter-final at the CoE 1 ground in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, in the second semi-final, the South Zone (SZ) team last year's runners-up will take on the winner of the second quarter-final at the CoE 2 ground. Both these semi-final matches will also commence at 9:30 AM.
Duleep Trophy 2026: List of Captains for All Zones
Image Source: X
This time, the BCCI has entrusted the captaincy by balancing young and experienced players:
- East Zone: Ishan Kishan
- West Zone: Ruturaj Gaikwad
- South Zone: Tilak Varma
- Central Zone: Rajat Patidar
- North Zone: Kanhaiya Wadhawan
- North East Zone: Rongsen Jonathan
Also Read: Keith Barker Retires From Cricket: Check Stats, Records & Legacy
Duleep Trophy 2026: Complete Squads for All 6 Zones
1. South Zone Squad
Tilak Varma (Captain), Ricky Bhui (Vice-Captain), Abhinav Tejrana, Shaik Rasheed, K Himateja, R Smaran, N Jagadeesan (Wicketkeeper), Karun Nair, T Thyagarajan, Shreyas Gopal, K Sai Teja, T Vijay, Vidwath Kaverappa, Aman Khan, MD Nidheesh.
2. East Zone Squad
Ishan Kishan (Captain), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Vice-Captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Gharami, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Jaiswal, Virat Singh, Kumar Kushagra (Wicketkeeper), Shikhar Mohan, Subhranshu Senapati, Abhijit Sarkar, Anukul Roy, Danish Das.
3. West Zone Squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Shams Mulani (Vice-Captain), Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Tanush Kotian, Harvik Desai (Wicketkeeper), Jaymeet Patel, Urvil Patel (Wicketkeeper), Siddharth Desai, Atit Sheth, Prithvi Shaw, Shivalik Sharma, Mukesh Choudhary.
4. Central Zone Squad
Rajat Patidar (Captain), Rinku Singh (Vice-Captain), Aryan Juyal (Wicketkeeper), Saransh Jain, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Zeeshan Ansari, Aryan Pandey, Arshad Khan, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Kunal Singh Rathore (Wicketkeeper), Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute.
5. North Zone Squad
Kanhaiya Wadhwan (Captain/Wicketkeeper), Ayush Badoni (Vice-Captain), Sanat Sangwan, Kamran Iqbal, Yash Dhull, Ayush Dosajh, Abdul Samad, Nishant Sindhu, Arjun Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Arshdeep Singh, Sunil Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, Yudhvir Singh, Nikhil Kashyap.
6. North East Zone Squad
Rongsen Jonathan (Captain), Techi Neri, Robin Limbu, Bishworjit Singh Konthoujam, Imliwati Lemtur, Kishan Lyngdoh, Joseph Lalthankhuma, Arpit Subhash (Wicketkeeper), Priyojit K, Ronald Meitei, Akash Kumar Choudhary, Vino G. Zhimomi, Lalrempuia, Jotin Singh Pheiroijam, Ashish Thapa.
Also Read: Indian Bowlers with Fastest & Most 10-Wicket Hauls in Test History
Disclaimer
Possible11 is a sports news and analysis platform designed purely for entertainment and educational purposes. All match previews, player insights, and team analyses are based on publicly available information and expert opinions. We do not promote or support betting, gambling, or real-money gaming in any form. Users are encouraged to enjoy our content responsibly and use it for informational purposes only.
Give Your Feedback