Top 5 batters to track in Duleep Trophy 2026/27 season

The Duleep Trophy 2026/27 will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru from August 23 to September 10, while six sides will be featuring in the first-class competition, including East Zone, North-East Zone, North Zone, West Zone, Central Zone, and South Zone. Some of the young players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be eager to do well in this event.

East Zone and North-East Zone will meet each other in the first quarterfinal at CoE Ground 2 from August 23 to 26. On the other hand, North Zone will be up against West Zone in the second quarterfinal at CoE Ground 1. The two semifinals will be played from August 30 to September 02, while the final will be on September 6 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Some of the batters, in the mixture of young and veteran players, will be looking forward to show their best game and leave a mark in the selectors’ minds for the future series of the national side.

From rising stars to Test hopefuls — 5 batters to watch out for in Duleep Trophy 2026/27

Here is a look at the top five batters to watch out for in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026/27-

#1 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (East Zone)-

The 15-year-old sensational batter, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has already impressed on the world stage and left a mark in two successive seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals (RR). The left-handed batter smashed 776 runs in 16 innings at an average of 48.50 and a fine strike rate of 237.50, thanks to five fifties and one century at the best score of 103 runs.

Sooryavanshi, however, will be eager to show his calibre with the bat in the longest format of the game. In the 12 innings of first-class, he has smashed 207 runs at an average of 17.25 and a strike rate of 90 with the best score of 90. Duleep Trophy could be the best stage for him to show his strength.

#2 Ravichandran Smaran (South Zone)-

The left-handed middle-order batter, Ravichandran Smaran, is another player who will be looking to score truck-loaded runs during the tournament and get into the national Test side of the Indian team. He has overall thumped 1534 runs in 26 innings of the four-day format at an average of 73.04, thanks to his six centuries and four fifties, with a best score of unbeaten 227 runs.

He finished the 2025/26 season of the Ranji Trophy as the leading run-getter of the competition, having collected 950 runs in 14 innings at an average of 86.36, thanks to his four centuries and three fifties, with a best score of unbeaten 227 runs.

#3 Rajat Patidar (Central Zone)-

Rajat Patidar’s first red-ball stint with the Indian side ended in a mess as he managed only 63 runs in six innings at an average of 10.50 against England and wasn’t considered for selection since then. However, he has improved his batting and looks to be a different player, especially against spin.

Patidar has clubbed 5509 runs in 132 innings of first-class cricket at an average of 44.07 and a strike rate of 56.57, thanks to 16 centuries and 27 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 205 runs. In the 2025/26 season of the Ranji Trophy, he smashed 266 runs in four games, at the best score of unbeaten 205 runs for Madhya Pradesh.

#4 Ishan Kishan (East Zone)-

Ishan Kishan has already played a couple of Test matches for the Indian side, smashing 78 runs at the best score of unbeaten 52. However, with KL Rahul solidifying his position at the opening position and Rishabh Pant coming as the premier wicket-keeper of the national side, Kishan lost his place.

However, the Duleep Trophy 2026/27 will be the perfect stage against the best bowlers for Kishan to showcase their talent with the bat. The left-handed batter nailed 3893 runs in 105 innings at an average of 39.72, having bagged nine centuries and 19 fifties at the best score of 273 runs. It will be a very vital season for the 28-year-old.

#5 Sarfaraz Khan (West Zone)-

Sarfaraz Khan is yet to cement his position in India’s Test team. He returned to the side after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out of the two-match red-ball series against Sri Lanka. He will rejoin the West Zone for the knockout stages after completing the national commitments. For him, the aim will be to transfer his strong domestic show into the national team.

Sarfaraz, who has thumped 371 runs in 11 innings of the longest format for India at an average of 37.10, has been in superb touch with 5114 runs in 92 innings at an average of 64.73 with 17 centuries and 16 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 301 runs. In the previous Ranji Trophy season of 2025/26, he made 429 runs across nine innings at 53.62, with the highest score of unbeaten 227 runs.