East Zone 241/4 in 52.2 Overs | Duleep Trophy Final Live: Ishan Kishan takes charge as East Zone look to post big score

Duleep Trophy Final Live: East Zone vs South Zone in the Duleep Trophy Final at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai with the prestigious title on the line. East won the toss and elected to bat first in this closely watched competition with several players with international experience.

East Zone are aiming to end their long wait for Duleep Trophy success. Their last title came in 2012-13 when they beat Central Zone in Chennai to lift their second trophy. Ishan Kishan leads the side and teenage batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi serves as his deputy. Sooryavanshi was East’s leading run-scorer in the semi-finals, hitting 92 against Central before adding a quick-fire 40 in the second innings.

East produced a strong all-round performance to overcome the defending champions. After both teams scored 266 in the first innings, Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar took three wickets apiece. Mukesh came back with four more wickets in the second innings while Mohammed Shami claimed three as Central were bowled out for 158. East then chased down 159 with four wickets remaining.

The southern zone will arrive with significant reinforcements. Mohammed Siraj and Devdutt Padikkal joined the squad after India’s 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka. However, KL Rahul is not expected to feature. Tilak Varma will captain South after playing in the semi-final against North Zone.

Tilak scored 116 and an unbeaten 51 as South defeated North by seven wickets. Vidhwath Kaverappa took four wickets in the first innings while Shreyas Gopal contributed 87 to South’s total of 312. MD Nidheesh then took five wickets in the second innings.

The final also holds more significance for Mohammed Shami, who is about to make his 100th first-class appearance. With international stars on both sides, the match in Chennai brings plenty of individual and team stakes.