Ruturaj Gaikwad to captain West Zone in 2026-27 Duleep Trophy; Prithvi Shaw returns

Ruturaj Gaikwad to captain West Zone in 2026-27 Duleep Trophy; Prithvi Shaw returns

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named captain of the West Zone squad for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy.

The 29-year-old batter, who leads Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, captains the inter-zonal group. Shams Mulani, the Mumbai all-rounder, has been named vice-captain.

The squad includes Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz and Musheer Khan, Tushar Deshpande, and Tanush Kotian.

Shaw returns to West Zone squad

Prithvi Shaw, who moved to Maharashtra from Mumbai last season, also made the cut. He was first named in a Duleep Trophy squad in 2017 but wasn't picked for last season's squad.

Ayush Mhatre, the 19-year-old Mumbai player who missed the second half of IPL 2026 due to injury, did not make the squad.

Central Zone beat West Zone in the semi-finals last year.

The 2026/27 Duleep Trophy begins on August 23, with all matches at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

West Zone squad: 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, Mukesh Chaudhary.