Duleep Trophy: East Zone beat Central by 266, South Zone stumbles against North

Fast bowlers dominated the opening day of the Duleep Trophy semi-finals on Sunday, with East Zone and South Zone gaining the upper hand thanks to impressive bowling performances. Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar led East Zone’s attack against Central Zone, while Vidwath Kaverappa’s four-wicket haul helped South Zone put North Zone under pressure before a late ball fight kept the contest alive.

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan’s decision to bowl after winning the toss proved inspirational as Central Zone were dismissed for 266 in 80.1 overs. Mukesh returned figures of 3 for 56 and Sarkar took 3 for 38, with Mohammed Shami and off-spinner Md Kounain Quraishi taking two wickets each.

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Central Zone struggled to gain momentum after being asked to bat, losing wickets at regular intervals and slumping to 125 for 5 in the 45th over. Rinku Singh provided the much-needed resistance with 60 off 88 balls while opener Aryan Juyal contributed 46.

Rinku and Harsh Dubey, who made 27, briefly revived the innings with a 55-run partnership for the sixth wicket. However, Central Zone’s resistance weakened after Dubey was trapped in front by Quraishi in the 60th over.

Saransh Jain and Aryan Pandey chipped in with 13 and 22 respectively, but neither could convert their starts. Yash Thakur added some late impetus with a brisk 30 off 26 deliveries, though Central Zone eventually fell short of the 300-run mark.

In the other semi-final, Kaverappa led the South Zone bowling attack with figures of 4 for 66 while North Zone were bowled out for 195. MD Nidheesh took two wickets for 36 while Tanay Thyagarajan also struck twice conceding 31 runs.

Kavuri Saiteja and Shreyas Gopal completed the wicket attempt with one scalp. The pace bowlers made the most of the conditions and eight of the 12 wickets fell on the day.

North Zone opener Qamran Iqbal stood out amid the collapse, producing a determined 76 off 182 balls. His innings included 10 fours and a six as he held one end together as wickets kept falling around him.

Sanat Sangwan, who returned to the XI, was the first batsman to fall after offering a reverse catch to Nidheesh. Saiteja removed Ayush Doseja for 23, while Thyagarajan dismissed Ayush Badoni and North Zone captain Kanhaiya Wadhawan, who scored 35.

Iqbal continued to fight patiently, trying to keep the score moving when opportunities arose. His resistance finally ended when Kaverappa had him caught at a short delivery before Karnataka set about cleaning up the lower order.

However, South Zone’s reply got off to a shaky start as they reached 40 for 2 at the stumps, still trailing North Zone by 155 runs. Anshul Kamboj bowled Ricky Bhui for five while Gurnoor Brar caught Shaik Rasheed lbw without scoring.

Narayan Jagadeesan remained unbeaten on 34 off 58 balls, smashing six boundaries and will continue alongside skipper Tilak Varma, who is yet to open his account after the close of play. With South Zone’s early setbacks, North Zone remain in the contest, both semi-finals remain well set for the second day.

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Published on:

30 Aug 2026 21:19 IST