The East Zone team for the Duleep Trophy in 2026 has been named as the selection committee has officially announced the squad and the team is led by explosive wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. In addition, young batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been named as the vice-captain.
Ishan Kishan comes into this prestigious domestic tournament after a successful white-ball cricket season for India in the recent series against Zimbabwe. Opening the batting for the national side, the aggressive left-hander went on to do a series of aggressive and fearless runs in the powerplay overs. And the East Zone side has a strong leader in him and he is the most likely to lead them.
But all eyes are on the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He was not quite how he was expected to make his senior team debut against England but he recovered and was able to get in the team again very soon. He silenced critics by slamming two brilliant half-centuries and helped India to a clean sweep in all three games against Zimbabwe. His ability to handle pressure and stay calm and focused against some of the best international bowling attacks is what got him the vice-captaincy which will be a great opportunity for him to build on that and develop his own team leadership skills too for that’s really important.
East Zone's team is a mix of young exuberance and international experience. Top-order batsmen like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Virat Singh, Subhranshu Senapati, Denish Das and Shikhar Mohan are also present. Kumar Kushagra is also in the middle order with Kishan and adds to it.
The team will also have fast-bowling spearhead Mohammed Shami returning to domestic cricket which will bring big experience and lethal pace to the attack. Shami will lead the bowling department with fast bowler Mukesh Kumar and a young fast bowler Abhijit Sarkar. Moreover, spin-bowling and lower-order batting will be taken care of by all-rounders Shahbaz Ahmed and Anukul Roy and East Zone will be one of the most balanced and formidable teams for the Duleep Trophy title in 2026.
