West Zone name Iyer and Jaiswal to face Central Zone who will rely on Patidar’s experience to challenge West Zone.
Iyer, Jaiswal in strong West Zone line-up against Central Zone.
At Ground B of the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, a formidable West Zone team captained by Shardul Thakur will face Central Zone in the 2025–26 Duleep Trophy semi-final.
The West Zone team, which has Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Tushar Deshpande, is far stronger than Central, who qualified based on a first-innings advantage against North East Zone in the quarterfinal.
However, Sarfaraz Khan had a quadriceps injury during the preseason Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai, therefore West will play without him. Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian are the best spinners, while Thakur and Deshpande will spearhead the fast-bowling attack.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav, who was selected for India’s Asia Cup team, will not play for Central. Dhruv Jurel, the captain of Central, is also a cause for concern after missing the quarterfinal due to a groin ache. In his absence, the team was led by Rajat Patidar.
Danish Malewar scored a double-ton, and Patidar and Shubham Sharma both smashed hundreds as the Central hitters had a respectable showing against North East Zone. Harsh Dubey, Deepak Chahar, and Khaleel Ahmed will be crucial in containing the West hitters.
Playing in the Duleep Trophy final the last time the event was held in the zonal format, in the 2023–24 season, gave West a direct path to the semi-final. There will be no broadcast semi-final.
Shreyas Iyer will play in his first competitive match since the IPL 2025 final in the Duleep Trophy semi-final. Despite having an outstanding batting performance for the Punjab Kings, he was not included in India’s Asia Cup roster. He would now desire more red-ball runs to bolster his cause for a return to India’s international squads, given the next hectic domestic and international season.
In the Duleep quarter-final, Rajat Patidar opened his 2025–26 domestic season with a 96-ball 125 in the opening innings and a 72-ball 66 in the second. Patidar will be one of Central’s key hitters against a more formidable West Zone bowling attack.