Duleep Trophy Final Relocated to Chennai for Enhanced Fan Experience
Duleep Trophy Final Relocated to Chennai
The final match of the Duleep Trophy for the 2026-27 season has been moved from the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This change is intended to allow more fans to attend this significant domestic first-class event.
Scheduled from September 6 to 10, the final will take place after the tournament begins on August 23, featuring East Zone against Northeast Zone and North Zone competing against West Zone, as announced by the BCCI.
BCCI Focuses on Fan Engagement
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia explained that the decision was made to provide fans with the chance to witness the final live. He emphasized the Duleep Trophy's importance in the cricket calendar, highlighting its rich history and high-quality matches. Saikia noted, "We want fans to experience the final in person at the stadium."
He also mentioned that the Centre of Excellence has certain limitations regarding crowd capacity, prompting the move to a venue that can accommodate more spectators.
Expanded Broadcast Coverage
In addition to the venue change, the BCCI has enhanced the tournament's broadcast reach, ensuring that all matches will be streamed live. Notably, one quarter-final, one semi-final, and the final will also be available on television.
East Zone Squad Announced
The East Zone has appointed wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan as captain for their opening match of the season, with the talented Vaibhav Sooryavanshi serving as vice-captain.
This selection allows Sooryavanshi to further develop his skills in red-ball cricket following his impressive performances in the IPL and on the international stage. The young player, who has participated in eight first-class matches and scored 207 runs with a top score of 93, is expected to open the batting alongside experienced Bengal player Abhimanyu Easwaran.
Easwaran, who has over 100 first-class matches under his belt, aims to regain his form after being dropped from the India A team late last year.
Jharkhand's Shikhar Mohan, who had a remarkable debut Ranji Trophy season with 613 runs, will serve as a reserve opener.
The East Zone squad also includes seasoned Indian pacers Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. Shami returns after a stellar 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, where he took 37 wickets in seven matches, and is expected to lead the bowling attack alongside Mukesh and Bengal's Suraj Jaiswal.
Kishan will don the gloves, with Kumar Kushagra as his deputy. The squad also features Virat Singh and Anukul Roy from Jharkhand, along with Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and Tripura's Abhijit Sarkar. Odisha's Subranshu Senapati and Bengal's Denish Das complete the lineup.
Thus, the Duleep Trophy will kick off at the Bengaluru CoE before culminating in Chennai, providing fans with the chance to witness the first major first-class final of the domestic season in a traditional cricket venue.
Complete Squads for Duleep Trophy 2026-27
North Zone Squad
Kanhaiya Wadhawan (Captain & Wicketkeeper) (Jammu & Kashmir), Ayush Badoni (Vice-captain) (Delhi), Sanat Sangwan (Delhi), Yash Dhull (Delhi), Ayush Doseja (Delhi), Nishant Sindhu (Haryana), Anshul Kamboj (Haryana), Nikhil Kashyap (Haryana), Qamran Iqbal (Jammu & Kashmir), Abdul Samad (Jammu & Kashmir), Abid Mushtaq (Jammu & Kashmir), Sunil Kumar (Jammu & Kashmir), Yudhvir Singh (Jammu & Kashmir), Arshdeep Singh (Punjab), Arjun Sharma (Services).
Central Zone Squad
Rajat Patidar (Captain) (Madhya Pradesh), Rinku Singh (Vice-captain) (Uttar Pradesh), Ayush Pandey (Chhattisgarh), Saransh Jain (Madhya Pradesh), Aryan Pandey (Madhya Pradesh), Arshad Khan (Madhya Pradesh), Kunal Singh Rathod (Wicketkeeper) (Rajasthan), Aryan Juyal (Wicketkeeper) (Uttar Pradesh), Zeeshan Ansari (Uttar Pradesh), Kunal Chandela (Uttarakhand), Aman Mokhade (Vidarbha), Yash Rathod (Vidarbha), Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha), Yash Thakur (Vidarbha), Nachiket Bhute (Vidarbha).
South Zone Squad
Tilak Varma (Captain) (Hyderabad), Ricky Bhui (Vice-captain & Wicketkeeper) (Andhra), SK Rasheed (Andhra), K Sai Teja (Andhra), T Vijay (Andhra), Abhinav Tejrana (Goa), K Himateja (Hyderabad), T Thyagarajan (Hyderabad), R Smaran (Karnataka), Karun Nair (Karnataka), Shreyas Gopal (Karnataka), V Kaverappa (Karnataka), MD Nidheesh (Kerala), N Jagadeesan (Wicketkeeper) (Tamil Nadu), Aman Khan (Pondicherry).
East Zone Squad
Ishan Kishan (Captain & Wicketkeeper) (Jharkhand), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Vice-Captain) (Bihar), Denish Das (Assam), Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal), Sudip Kumar Gharami (Bengal), Shahbaz Ahmed (Bengal), Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (Bengal), Mohd Shami (Bengal), Mukesh Kumar (Bengal), Kumar Kushagra (Wicketkeeper) (Jharkhand), Shikhar Mohan (Jharkhand), Anukul Roy (Jharkhand), Virat Singh (Jharkhand), Subhranshu Senapati (Odisha), Abhijit Sarkar (Tripura).
West Zone Squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain) (Maharashtra), Shams Mulani (Vice-captain) (Mumbai), Atit Sheth (Baroda), Shivalik Sharma (Baroda), Jaymeet Patel (Gujarat), Urvil Patel (Wicketkeeper) (Gujarat), Siddharth Desai (Gujarat), Prithvi Shaw (Maharashtra), Mukesh Choudhary (Maharashtra), Shardul Thakur (Mumbai), Musheer Khan (Mumbai), Tushar Deshpande (Mumbai), Tanush Kotian (Mumbai), Harvik Desai (Wicketkeeper) (Saurashtra), Jay Gohil (Saurashtra).
North East Zone
Jonathan Rongsen (Captain) (Nagaland), Bishworjit Singh Konthoujam (Vice-Captain) (Manipur), Techi Neri (Arunachal Pradesh), Priyojit K (Manipur), Ronald Meitei (Manipur), Jotin Singh Pheiroijam (Manipur), Kishan Lyngdoh (Meghalaya), Arpit Subhas (Wicketkeeper) (Meghalaya), Akash Kumar Choudhary (Meghalaya), Joseph Lalthankhuma (Mizoram), Lalrempouia (Mizoram), Imliwati Lemtur (Nagaland), Vino G Zhimomi (Nagaland), Robin Limboo (Sikkim), Ashish Thapa (Wicketkeeper) (Sikkim).