Visakhapatnam, August 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma has been appointed captain of the South Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, with Andhra batter Ricky Bhui named his deputy.
The 15-member squad for the tournament, scheduled to be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru from August 23 to September 10, was announced on Sunday.
Andhra coach MN Vikram Varma, an experienced Level 2 coach, has been appointed head coach of the team.
Tilak recently featured in India’s T20I series victory over Zimbabwe, where the team secured a 3-0 win.
The squad was finalised during a selection committee meeting convened by Andhra Cricket Association secretary Sana Satish Babu. Former Andhra Ranji Trophy player RV Chandramouli Prasad chaired the panel, which included representatives from the southern state associations.
The team includes experienced batter Karun Nair along with several emerging players. Karnataka’s R Smaran, who finished as the leading run-scorer in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season with 950 runs, has earned a place in the squad. Hyderabad batter K Himateja is also part of the team.
Shaik Rasheed, who recently represented India A in their series win against Sri Lanka A, has been included, while Goa batter Abhinav Tejrana also finds a place. Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter N Jagadeesan will take charge of wicketkeeping duties.
South Zone, who reached the final of the previous edition before losing to champions Central Zone, have received direct entry into the semifinals. They will begin their campaign on August 30 at BCCI CoE Ground 2 against the winner of the second quarterfinal.
The bowling attack features left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan, leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal and pacers K Sai Teja, Tripurana Vijay, Vidvath Kaverappa and M D Nideesh.
FOLLOW NOW
