Central Zone 81/3 in 32.0 Overs | Duleep Trophy Semi Final 1 Live Score: Early blow for Central Zone as East Zone strikes twice

Duleep Trophy Semi Final Live Score: All eyes will once again be on teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as East Zone take on defending champions Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final on Sunday. After a commanding quarter-final performance, East Zone now face a significantly tougher challenge against a central side full of experienced and in-form players.

East Zone were merciless in their quarter-final against North East Zone, securing an innings and 210-run victory. Shahbaz Ahmed was an excellent performer and created an excellent all-round display. He hit 167 and combined with Sudip Kumar Gharami, who scored 146, for a crucial 150-run partnership that helped East post a mammoth 467.

Their pitchers then completed the task with ease. Abhijit K Sarkar took 5-20 and Shahbaz added 3-20 as North East were dismissed for 111 and forced to continue. Anukul Roy later claimed five wickets in the second innings while Sooryavanshi chipped in with two wickets as North East were bowled out for 146.

The central zone, however, presents a completely different proposition. Led by Rajat Patidar, the defending champions boast a strong squad that includes Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur and Saransh Jain. Saransh, who recently made his debut for India against Sri Lanka in Colombo, will also be looking to make his mark on home soil.

The second semi-final pits the South Zone against the North Zone. North reached the last four after beating West Zone by 52 runs with Abid Mushtaq and Nishant Sindhu playing key roles. Mushtaq took five wickets in the first innings and followed it up with four more wickets in the second.

South, meanwhile, will be led by India’s T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma and have plenty of experience in their ranks, including Karun Nair, Shreyas Gopal and Narayan Jagadeesan.