Kiran Powar Named Head Coach of West Zone for Duleep Trophy

Mumbai, Aug 13 (PTI) Former Mumbai batter Kiran Powar has been appointed as the head coach of the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, set to commence on August 28 in Bengaluru. The esteemed tournament will be returning to its zonal format this season and is scheduled to take place at the BCCI Centre of Excellence grounds in Bengaluru. North Zone and East Zone will face off in the opening match. In other coaching appointments, former Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter Pallav Vora has been selected as the assistant coach.

The Mumbai Cricket Association also announced the appointments of Dr. Jaydev Pandya as the physiotherapist and Mahesh Patil as the strength and conditioning coach. Pradipsinh Champavat is set to serve as the team's analyst, while Aakash Chaudhary will take on the role of masseur. Datta Mithbavkar has been assigned the position of team manager. The format of the competition sees West Zone and South Zone, last year’s finalists, entering directly at the semifinal stage. Meanwhile, the other four participating teams will commence their journey from the quarterfinals.