Tilak Varma to lead South Zone in Duleep Trophy 2026
02 Aug 2026

India's T20I vice-captain, Tilak Varma, has been appointed as the captain of the South Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy.

The tournament will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru from August 23 to September 10.

Andhra batter Ricky Bhui will serve as vice-captain, while MN Vikram Varma, an experienced Level 2 coach from Andhra, has been appointed head coach for this prestigious competition.

Selection committee meeting held by ACA secretary
Team selection

The selection committee meeting was held by Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) secretary Sana Satish Babu.

The panel was headed by former Andhra Ranji Trophy player RV Chandramouli Prasad and included members from all seven Southern state units: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Hyderabad, Goa, Pondicherry, and Kerala.

The final squad features veteran batter Karun Nair, Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan, and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal, among others.

Average of over 50
Fact

The impending Duleep Trophy gives Tilak Varma a perfect platform to switch focus to red-ball cricket. India's T20I vice-captain, Tilak, currently has 1,562 runs from 23 FC games at an average of 50.38. His tally includes 7 tons and 5 half-centuries.

Full squad and schedule
Tournament format

South Zone squad: Tilak Varma (captain), Ricky Bhui (vice-captain), Abhinav Tejrana, Shaik Rasheed, K M Himateja, R Smaran, N Jagadeesan (wicket-keeper), Karun Nair, Tanay Thyagarajan, Shreyas Gopal, K Sai Teja, T Vijay, Vidvath Kaverappa, H Aman Khan, and M D Nideesh.

Having reached the final last year, where they lost to Central Zone, South Zone has received a direct entry into the semi-finals.

They will begin their campaign on August 30 at BCCI COE Ground 2 against the winner of Quarterfinal 2.