Gaikwad to captain West Zone in 2026-27 Duleep Trophy

The West Zone team's captain for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy is Ruturaj Gaikwad. The batter, who is 29 years old and plays for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and was Tilak Varma's deputy during the 'A' tri-series in Sri Lanka last month, is captain of the inter-zonal group. Shams Mulani, the Mumbai all-rounder, has been named vice-captain. The squad includes a host of other Mumbai players such as Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz and Musheer Khan, Tushar Deshpande and Tanush Kotian. The team also included Prithvi Shaw, who moved from Mumbai to Maharashtra last season. Shaw was first named in a Duleep Trophy squad in 2017 as a precocious 17-year-old but has since had an up-and-down career. He wasn't picked for last season's West Zone squad, which Thakur led. Having not played an IPL game since 2024, Shaw would be hoping the Duleep Trophy, traditionally the season opener, sets the tone for the Indian domestic season. Ayush Mhatre, the 19-year-old Mumbai player who missed the second half of IPL 2026 due to injury, did not make the squad. The Rajat Patidar-led Central Zone team prevailed over West Zone in the semi-finals last year thanks to a lead in the first inning. The 2026/27 Duleep Trophy begins on August 23, with all matches set to be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shams Mulani (vc), Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Tanush Kotian, Harvik Desai (wk), Jaymeet Patel, Urvil Patel, Siddharth Desai, Atit Sheth, Prithvi Shaw, Shivalik Sharma and Mukesh Chaudhary.