East Zone end long wait, clinch Duleep Trophy title after 14 years by virtue of first innings lead against South Zone
East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan was named Player of the Match for his knocks of 270 and 80 in the final.
Ishan Kishan-led East Zone clinched the Duleep Trophy title after securing a 372-run first-innings lead over South Zone in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. The final ended in a draw, but East Zone were declared champions by virtue of their substantial first-innings advantage.
The triumph marked East Zone's first Duleep Trophy title since their back-to-back triumphs in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. It is their third title overall.
After winning the toss, East Zone elected to bat first and posted 708 in 163 overs. Captain Kishan led from the front with a career-defining 270 off 334 balls, hitting 30 fours and seven sixes.
Kumar Kushagra also made a century, scoring 101, while Shikhar Mohan contributed 85 and Abhimanyu Easwaran made 72.
East Zone's total left South Zone with a significant task in their first innings. South Zone eventually folded for 336 in 107.3 overs, giving East Zone a 372-run lead.
Captain Tilak Varma was South Zone's leading scorer, narrowly missing out on a century after being dismissed for 99.
Devdutt Padikkal added 62, while Chama Milind scored 43. Mukesh Kumar was East Zone's most successful bowler with three wickets, while Mohammed Shami and Kounain Quraishi took two each.
East Zone add to commanding lead
Despite their sizeable advantage, East Zone opted against enforcing the follow-on and batted again. They were reduced to 13/2 early in their second innings, but Kishan once again made a significant contribution, scoring 80 off 98 balls.
Shikhar Mohan made 52, while Kumar Kushagra and Md Kounain Quraishi steadied the innings after a cluster of wickets. At the end of the fourth day, East Zone were 212/5, extending their overall lead to 584 runs.
On the final day, Quraishi completed an unbeaten century, finishing on 116 not out as East Zone declared their second innings at 388/7. Their overall lead had reached 760 runs.
With South Zone unable to chase down such a huge deficit within the available time, the match ended in a draw and East Zone secured the trophy on the basis of their first-innings lead. Kishan's 270 and 80 gave him 350 runs across the final, while Quraishi's unbeaten 116 capped East Zone's dominant batting performance.
About the Author
PN Vishnu is a contributor with the LiveMint Sports team, where he primarily covers cricket, football and other major sporting events. A passionate sports journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, Vishnu has been an ardent follower of sports for more than 10 years. While he enjoys covering a wide range of disciplines, his biggest sporting passions remain cricket and football. He is also a devoted supporter of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Manchester United in English football. <br><br> Vishnu pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, in 2016 and graduated in 2017. Since then, he has built an extensive career in sports journalism, working with leading media organisations including Deccan Chronicle and Firstpost. In 2025, he worked for CricXtasy for six months before joining LiveMint in February 2026. <br><br> Over the years, he has reported extensively on marquee sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian Super League (ISL). His reporting has also provided opportunities to interact with some of the game's leading personalities, including India cricketers Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhruv Jurel. <br><br> Away from the newsroom, Vishnu enjoys unwinding with books, discovering new music and binge-watching television series.
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