Why Ishan Kishan is Not Captaining in Central vs East Zone Duleep Trophy Semifinal?

The first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 is being played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, Bengaluru. East Zone captain Ishan Kishan won the toss and elected to field first under helpful bowling conditions.

East Zone started well with the ball by picking up two wickets inside the first 15 overs of the CZ vs EZ Duleep Trophy match. However, they suffered a massive blow when the skipper Ishan Kishan went off the field after being hit during the 19th over.

Why Ishan Kishan Is Not Captaining Central Zone?

Kishan had to leave the field as he hurt his hand while wicketkeeping during the 19th over of the innings, bowled by Abhijit Sarkar. The wicketkeeper-batter was standing up to the stumps and was struck on his left hand.

Ishan Kishan injury turned out to be a serious one as the East Zone medical staff checked on him. Later, the Jharkhand player left the field and continued receiving treatment in the dressing room.

There are no further updates on Ishan Kishan hand injury, however, the BCCI is likely to provide further updates soon. This is a blow for East Zone's chances as Kishan is a premier batter for them alongside being a captain. He is arguably one of the best wicketkeepers in India and is also a regular in international white-ball formats.

Who is Central Zone New Captain?

With Ishan Kishan off the field, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is leading East Zone. The 15-year-old youngster is the vice-captain of the team and hence, took over when Kishan went off. It is a big occasion for Suryavanshi as he also became the youngest Duleep Trophy captain ever.

Meanwhile, Kumar Kushagra became East Zone new wicketkeeper after Ishan Kishan's injury. Kushagra and Kishan are teammates in domestic cricket, where both represent Jharkhand.

Central Zone will hope that Ishan Kishan returns to the field of play soon. The star wicketkeeper is one of the best T20 batsmen going around but is yet to establish himself in Test cricket. The ongoing Duleep Trophy is a great platform for him to make a claim into India's Test team.