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 opting to bat first against South Zone at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium. East Zone's captain, Ishan Kishan, emphasized the importance of discipline and senior players stepping up after their previous match. Meanwhile, South Zone's Tilak Varma expressed a preference to bowl first, citing pitch conditions and their pace attack led by Mohammed Siraj. The match features notable players and strategic decisions that could influence the outcome. Read on for more details about the teams and their line-ups.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 6, 2026, 10:48 IST

East Zone vs South Zone: Duleep Trophy Final Highlights

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] - On September 6, East Zone won the toss and decided to bat first in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. South Zone features notable players like Mohammed Siraj and Devdutt Padikkal.

Captain Ishan Kishan of East Zone explained that the decision to bat was influenced by the pitch conditions, which appeared to have some moisture. He emphasized the importance of moving on from their previous match and relying on the experience of senior players to perform well in this crucial game.

“We’ve chosen to bat first as the wicket looks promising. There’s a bit of moisture, but that’s typical for any ground. It’s crucial to forget the last match. Our senior players need to step up. We aim to remain humble and disciplined,” Kishan stated during the toss.

On the other hand, South Zone captain Tilak Varma expressed that they would have preferred to bowl first, citing the moisture in the pitch and their strong pace attack, led by Mohammed Siraj. He confirmed that four players were brought into the squad, including Siraj, Padikkal, Tripurana Vijay, and CV Milind.

“Before the toss, I discussed with Ishan that we were inclined to bowl. We believe there’s moisture in the wicket. With our fast bowling lineup, including Siraj, we aim to secure early wickets. We’ve made four changes: Siraj, Padikkal, Vijay, and CV Milind are in,” Varma mentioned.

Here are the playing elevens for 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.