Defending champions Central Zone, who secured their seventh title after defeating South Zone by six wickets in the previous edition's final in Bengaluru, have announced a strong 15-member squad aimed at retaining the crown.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the batting line-up, Patidar, the leading run-getter in last year\u2019s Duleep Trophy and a two-time IPL-winning skipper, will have the likes of Rinku, Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, Ayush Pandey, Aryan Juyal and Yash Rathod, Player of the Match in last year\u2019s final with a majestic 194, to outclass opposition bowlers. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The bowling unit boasts a blend of pace and spin, led by seamers Yash Thakur, Arshad Khan, Aryan Pandey, and Nachiket Bhute. The spin department will be spearheaded by off-spinner Saransh Jain, who was the leading wicket-taker in last year\u2019s competition with 16 scalps, and left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey, along with leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
IANS understands that Jain, who\u2019s in India\u2019s squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, has been kept in the line-up with an expectation that he could make it to Central Zone\u2019s game, which will be the semi-final clash against the winner of quarter-final 1 from August 30 to September 2. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Central Zone selection committee has also named a six-member stand-by players list featuring Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav, and Kumar Kartikeya to cover for any potential injuries to any main squad members during the tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ex-Rajasthan player Nikhil Doru has been named as the side\u2019s head coach, with Manish Jha appointed as the assistant coach. Zuffri Zakeria has been appointed as the team manager while Chandrashekhar Rao is named the video analyst. The medical and physical conditioning team includes physio Deshraj Chouhan, trainer Mayank Agarwal, and masseur Mohit Kumar. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Central Zone selection committee has also named a six-member stand-by players list featuring Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav, and Kumar Kartikeya to cover for any potential injuries to any main squad members during the tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stand-by players: Amandeep Khare, Mayank Mishra, Saurabh Rawat, Bhargav Merai, Kunal Yadav and Kumar Kartikeya<\/p>\r\n\r\n