Duleep Trophy final: East Zone face South Zone in title clash

East Zone will face South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai on Sunday. East are chasing their third title, while 12-time champions South seek another trophy, with several India internationals set to feature in the summit clash

Chennai: East Zone will face South Zone in the final of the prestigious Duleep Trophy from Sunday onwards, with the glory at stake here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

East Zone are seeking their first Duleep Trophy title since 2012-13, when they defeated Central Zone in the final to lift their second trophy, while South have been far more successful, having won 12 titles, with their last coming in 2023.

---

The clash is set to see several India internationals battle for the showpiece before attention turns to international cricket. Mohammed Siraj and Devdutt Padikkal have joined the South Zone squads for the final after recently featuring in the 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka. However, KL Rahul is not expected to feature for South.

Despite India facing Afghanistan in T20Is from September 13 onwards, T20I specialists Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are set to be in action for the final, as the teams have received the BCCI’s nod to play the showdown. Tilak will lead South, while Ishan is set to lead East’s charge towards their third title, with Sooryavanshi as his deputy.

Tilak is coming into the final on the back of a stellar outing in the semifinal against North Zone, where his unbeaten century and unscathed half-century helped the side beat North by seven wickets.

Meanwhile, East Zone are coming into the final after having defeated defending champions Central Zone in the semifinal in what was a strong all-round performance.

The two sides were tied at 266 after the first innings, with Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar taking three wickets each for East, and Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran scoring 92 and 62, respectively.

Mukesh did well in the second innings too, taking four wickets, while Mohammed Shami took three to bowl the Rajat Patidar-led side out for 158. Sooryavanshi’s quick 40 and Ishan’s composed, unbeaten 39 helped East chase down 159 with four wickets in hand.

South were pretty good in the semi-final, performing well in both departments. Vidhwath Kaverappa’s 4-66 helped South bowl North out for 195, before Tilak’s 116 and Shreyas Gopal’s 87 led South to 312. MD Nidheesh took a five-for in the second innings to bowl North out for 297, as Tilak’s unbeaten 51 helped them chase 181 with seven wickets in hand.