Duleep Trophy Returns to Zonal Format August 28

India's 2025-26 domestic cricket season will start with the Duleep Trophy on August 28 in Bengaluru, returning to a six-team zonal format. Shubman Gill will captain North Zone for the first time, with Ankit Kumar as vice-captain and players like Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj included, subject to replacement if called for Asia Cup duty. Central Zone is led by Dhruv Jurel, with the notable omission of Karun Nair and key players including Kuldeep Yadav and Deepak Chahar. East Zone is captained by Ishan Kishan, while Yashasvi Jaiswal features for West Zone; South Zone enters as the defending champion. The tournament serves as a key platform for players to push for Test selection ahead of India's upcoming series against West Indies and South Africa. Zonal selection committees aim to spotlight emerging talent and strengthen India's cricket bench.