Duleep Trophy 2026: Kanhaiya Wadhawan Named North Zone Captain, Ayush Badoni Vice-Captain

New Delhi, Aug 3: Jammu & Kashmir wicketkeeper-batter Kanhaiya Wadhawan has been named captain of the North Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, to be played from August 23 to September 10 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

Delhi’s batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni, who made 307 runs in last year’s Duleep Trophy, has been appointed as the vice-captain. The North Zone selection committee met in New Delhi on Monday and picked the 15-member squad, which has a blend of international experience and proven domestic performers.

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Strong batting line-up

Leading the batting core alongside Wadhawan are his state-mates Qamran Iqbal, who hit an unbeaten 160 in the final against Karnataka at Hubballi, as Jammu & Kashmir won their first-ever Ranji Trophy title, and big-hitter Abdul Samad.

Other batting mainstays include Delhi batters Ayush Doseja and Sanat Sangwan, who amassed 950 and 848 runs respectively in the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy. Yash Dhull, who captained India to the 2022 U19 World Cup triumph, is also included.

Spin and pace attack

In the spin bowling department, Badoni will partner Haryana's left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Nishant Sindhu, off-spinner Nikhil Kashyap, left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq and Services' Arjun Sharma. The seam bowling department boasts serious firepower via the presence of India pacers Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj.

Other pacers in the squad are J&K fast-bowling duo Yudhvir Singh and Sunil Kumar. North Zone will open their Duleep Trophy campaign against Ruturaj Gaikwad-led West Zone at the BCCI CoE Ground 1 in Bengaluru from August 23-26. The winner of this clash will meet Tilak Varma-led South Zone in the semi-final.

North Zone squad

North Zone squad: Sanat Sangwan, Qamran Iqbal, Yash Dhull, Ayush Doseja, Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni (vice-captain), Kanhaiya Wadhawan (captain), Nishant Sindhu, Arjun Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Arshdeep Singh, Sunil Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, Yudhvir Singh and Nikhil Kashyap.

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