The Duleep Trophy 2025 tournament will be starting soon and Central Zone seems to have appointed their new skipper in place of Rajat Patidar who is ruled out of the tournament owing to an injury.
Six teams will be playing in the upcoming Duleep Trophy season. One of the teams participating will be the Central Zone with players from  Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Railway, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh playing in the side.
Meanwhile, as per reports, Rajat Patidar is ruled out of the tournament with an unspecified injury. He is likely to be replaced as skipper in the side by Akshay Wadkar, the Vidarbha veteran for the upcoming season.
Also Read:Â IND vs ENG: Just not cricket - Jofra Archer & Ben Stokes slammed for attacking Pant's injured toe
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Akshay Wadkar Has Proven Success In Domestic Cricket
Reports in Crictracker has all but confirmed Wadkar’s appointment as the captain of the  Central Zone squad. Wadkar recently led Vidarbha to third Ranji Trophy title win in six years in the 2024-25 season, beating Kerala in the finals. He scored 722 runs in just 10 games at an average of 45.22.
Meanwhile, Karun Nair, who recently switched from Vidarbha to Karnataka, was denied a spot in the South Zone squad, which was announced recently. Nair’s performance in the ongoing Test series against England might have influenced the selectors to snub him from the side. Just two players from Karnataka are included in the 16-member South Zone squad, namely Devdutt Padikkal and Vyshak Vijaykumar.
Also Read: IND vs ENG: N Jagadeesan Called Up After Rishabh Pant’s Injury, Leaves for England on July 27
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Rajat Patidar Helped RCB Win Maiden IPL Title In 2025
Earlier this year, it was Rajat Patidar who helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) win their maiden IPL title as they beat Punjab Kings in the final. Virat Kohli scored 657 runs in the season and Patidar himself scored 312 runs from 15 matches with two fifty-plus scores.
