Ruturaj Gaikwad has been officially named the captain of the West Zone squad for the upcoming 2026-27 Duleep Trophy. The 29-year-old batter, who currently leads the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, steps into the leadership role after serving as the deputy to Tilak Varma during last month's 'A' tri-series held in Sri Lanka. Supporting Gaikwad in the leadership group is Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani, who has been appointed as the vice-captain.
The squad features a strong contingent of Mumbai players, including Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Tushar Deshpande, and Tanush Kotian. A notable inclusion in the side is Prithvi Shaw, who moved to Maharashtra from Mumbai last season. Shaw, who first appeared in a Duleep Trophy squad as a 17-year-old in 2017, missed out on the squad last year when Shardul Thakur served as captain. Having not competed in an IPL match since 2024, Shaw aims to use the Duleep Trophy as a platform to regain form and set the tone for the domestic season.
The 2026/27 Duleep Trophy is scheduled to commence on August 23, with all matches taking place at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Last year, the tournament saw the Rajat Patidar-led Central Zone emerge as champions after defeating West Zone in the semi-finals via a first-innings lead. Notably, 19-year-old Mumbai player Ayush Mhatre was excluded from the current squad following his absence from the second half of the 2026 IPL due to injury.
The full West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy includes 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.
