New Delhi [India], August 19 (ANI): The Duleep Trophy 2026-27 final has been shifted from the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with the move aimed at allowing spectators to attend the marquee domestic first-class fixture.
The final will be played from September 6 to 10, while the remainder of the tournament will proceed as scheduled at the CoE. The competition gets underway on August 23, with East Zone taking on Northeast Zone and North Zone facing West Zone, according to a release from BCCI.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said the decision was taken to give fans an opportunity to watch the prestigious domestic tournament's final from the stands.
"The Duleep Trophy is an important first-class tournament in our calendar and carries a rich legacy. The quality of cricket is always high, and we want fans to have the opportunity to watch the final live at the stadium," Saikia said.
"There are certain restrictions regarding crowd attendance at the CoE, and we felt it was appropriate to move the final to a venue where fans can attend and be part of the occasion," he added.
The BCCI has also increased the tournament's broadcast coverage, with all matches set to be streamed live. One quarter-final, one semi-final and the final will additionally receive television coverage.
Meanwhile, East Zone have named wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan as captain for their opening fixture of the new domestic season, with teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi appointed vice-captain.
The selection provides Sooryavanshi with an extended opportunity to develop his red-ball game following his breakthrough performances in the IPL and international cricket. The youngster, who has played eight first-class matches and scored 207 runs, including a highest score of 93, is expected to open alongside Bengal's experienced Abhimanyu Easwaran.
Easwaran, who has more than 100 first-class appearances, will be looking to regain his best form after losing his place in the India A setup late last year. Jharkhand's Shikhar Mohan, who scored 613 runs in his debut Ranji Trophy season, has been named reserve opener.
The East Zone squad also features experienced India pacers, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. Shami returns after an impressive 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign in which he claimed 37 wickets in seven matches and is expected to lead the pace attack alongside Mukesh and Bengal's Suraj Jaiswal.
Kishan will take the gloves, with Kumar Kushagra named as his deputy behind the stumps. Jharkhand's Virat Singh and Anukul Roy also feature in the squad, while Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and Tripura's Abhijit Sarkar are included.
Odisha batter Subranshu Senapati and Bengal's Denish Das complete the squad.
The Duleep Trophy will thus begin at the Bengaluru CoE before the tournament's showpiece final moves to Chennai, giving spectators an opportunity to watch the domestic season's first major first-class final in a traditional cricket venue.
All 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 (Capain) (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). (ANI)
Duleep Trophy final shifted to Chennai from Bengaluru to allow spectators
