A star-studded West Zone squad, led by Shardul Thakur, is set to face Central Zone in the semi-final of the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy at Ground B of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, near Bengaluru.
While Central secured their semi-final berth by earning a first-innings lead against North East Zone, they now face a far tougher challenge. West Zone boasts heavyweights such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Tushar Deshpande, though they will miss Sarfaraz Khan, who is sidelined with a quadriceps injury.
“The presence of Jaiswal, Iyer, and Gaikwad makes this West Zone line-up one of the most formidable sides in the tournament,” noted a domestic cricket analyst.
On the bowling front, Thakur and Deshpande will spearhead the pace attack, supported by spinners Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian.
Central Zone Struggles With Key Absentees
Central Zone will be without Kuldeep Yadav, who is part of India’s Asia Cup squad, and captain Dhruv Jurel, out due to a groin injury. Rajat Patidar is expected to lead in Jurel’s absence, while Vidarbha keeper Akshay Wadkar has been drafted in.
Despite setbacks, Central’s batting showed promise in the quarters, with Rajat Patidar, Shubham Sharma, and Danish Malewar all hitting centuries, Malewar going on to score a double-ton. Their bowling attack will rely heavily on Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, and Harsh Dubey to counter West’s batting depth.
“Patidar’s recent form makes him the key batter for Central against a stronger West Zone bowling unit,” said a former India cricketer.
The semi-final also brings spotlight back on Shreyas Iyer, who hasn’t played competitively since the IPL 2025 final, and Patidar, who impressed in the quarters with scores of 125 and 66.
With cloudy conditions forecast in Bengaluru, fast bowlers could enjoy some assistance, even though the surface is likely to remain batting-friendly.
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