Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s eyes announce the innings as the Duleep Trophy semi-final begins

Bengaluru: The 2026-27 domestic season is barely underway but the old north-south rivalry is already adding spice to the Duleep Trophy. North Zone and South Zone will resume their semi-final contest at the BCCI Center of Excellence here from Sunday, with youth and experience on both sides making for an interesting battle.The North brings the exuberance of youth and the likes of Ayush Doseja are looking to build on early promise. South, runners-up in the last edition, has a mix of emerging talent and established names, with Karnataka youngster R Smaran joining the likes of Tilak Varma and Karun Nair.On paper, the contest could boil down to South’s formidable batting against North’s formal bowling. Smaran, the leading run-scorer in last Ranji Trophy season with 950 runs, will be one of South’s key batsmen, while captain Tilak, Karun and Narayan Jagadeesan add considerable depth to the side.When the two sides met in the previous edition, South had the upper hand and Jagadeesan’s 197 helped them secure a sizeable lead in the first innings before eventually advancing to the final.This time, however, the South will have to contend with the onslaught of a North brimming with confidence. Left-armer Abid Mushtaq was involved in their quarter-final win over West Zone, claiming nine wickets. If the surface offers a turn, Mushtaq and Nishant Sindhu could pose a serious challenge to South’s batting.

Will Vaibhav make a statement?

For East Zone’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the second semi-final against defending champions Central Zone offers another opportunity to express himself in red-ball cricket.The 15-year-old southpaw managed a single-digit score against Northeast Zone in the quarter-finals and will be eager to contribute more this time around. Meanwhile, Central will be led by Rajat Patidar and set up another strategic test for Sooryavanshi.