South Zone Advances to Duleep Trophy Final After Defeating North Zone

South Zone Secures Spot in Duleep Trophy Final

South Zone is poised to compete against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final after a convincing seven-wicket victory over North Zone in the second semi-final held at the Centre of Excellence 2 on Wednesday. The team, led by Tilak Varma, achieved the win in the second session of the final day, with Varma hitting the winning runs and finishing with a half-century after remaining not out in the first innings.

North Zone Sets a Target of 181 Runs

On Day 4, North Zone's lower-order batsmen aimed to establish a challenging target for South Zone. Nishant Sindhu and Anshul Kamboj combined for 60 runs for the eighth wicket before MD Nidheesh ended their partnership. He also dismissed Gurnoor Brar shortly after and capped off North Zone's second innings by taking the final wicket of Arshdeep Singh. Sindhu remained not out at 35, setting a target of 181 runs for the South Zone. Nidheesh finished with five wickets, while Kavuri Saiteja and Shreyas Gopal each took two wickets, and Vidwath Kaverappa claimed one in the second innings.

Tilak Varma Guides South Zone to Victory

Ricky Bhui opened the batting for South Zone alongside Narayan Jagadeesan, and they put together a solid 64-run partnership for the first wicket. Gurnoor Brar provided the initial breakthrough for North Zone, followed by Abid Mushtaq dismissing Shaik Rasheed in the next over. Tilak Varma then joined Jagadeesan, and they added 37 runs for the third wicket before Mushtaq took Jagadeesan's wicket for 43 runs. Smaran Ravichandran partnered with Varma, and together they secured the win with an unbeaten 80-run partnership.

Final Match Scheduled in Chennai

The championship match between East Zone and South Zone is set to take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, commencing on Sunday, September 6. This final will span five days, and in the event of a draw, the winner will be determined based on the first-innings lead.