Duleep Trophy 2026 Final: East Zone Chooses to Bat First Against South Zone

The Duleep Trophy 2026 final kicked off with East Zone winning the toss and choosing to bat first against South Zone at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium. East Zone's captain Ishan Kishan highlighted the importance of discipline and senior players stepping up after their previous match. In contrast, South Zone's Tilak Varma expressed a preference for bowling first, citing the pitch's moisture and their strong pace attack led by Mohammed Siraj. Both teams made strategic changes to their lineups, setting the stage for an exciting final.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 6, 2026, 10:41 IST

Match Overview

In the Duleep Trophy 2026 final held at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, East Zone won the toss and decided to bat first against South Zone. Noteworthy players for South Zone include Mohammed Siraj and Devdutt Padikkal.

East Zone's Strategy

Ishan Kishan, the captain of East Zone, explained the decision to bat first, citing the pitch's decent condition with some moisture. He emphasized the importance of moving on from their previous match and relying on experienced players to perform well in the final. Kishan stated, "We're going to bat first. The wicket looks good, and while there is some moisture, that’s typical for any ground. It's crucial to forget the last game. The team has been giving their all, and senior players need to step up. We aim to remain humble and disciplined."

South Zone's Approach

On the other hand, South Zone's captain Tilak Varma mentioned that they would have preferred to bowl first, taking advantage of the moisture in the pitch and their strong pace attack, led by Mohammed Siraj. He confirmed four changes to the lineup, bringing in Siraj, Padikkal, Tripurana Vijay, and CV Milind. Varma remarked, "Before the toss, I discussed with Ishan that we were looking to bowl. We believe there is moisture in the wicket, and with our fast bowling unit, especially with Siraj back, we aim to secure early wickets. We have made four changes: Siraj, Padikkal, Vijay, and CV Milind are in the squad."

Duleep Trophy 2026 Final: Playing XIs

Here are the playing elevens for both teams in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final:

East Zone (Playing XI): Abhimanyu Easwaran, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Kumar Kushagra, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shikhar Mohan, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Md Kounain Quraishi, Anukul Roy, Mohammed Shami, Abhijit K Sarkar, Mukesh Kumar.

South Zone (Playing XI): Ricky Bhui, Narayan Jagadeesan(w), Devdutt Padikkal, Shaik Rasheed, Tilak Varma(c), Smaran Ravichandran, Shreyas Gopal, Tripurana Vijay, Mohammed Siraj, Chama V Milind, MD Nidheesh.