Home / Sports / Central Defends Title Against East; South Faces North
Central Defends Title Against East; South Faces North
30 Aug
Summary
- Central Zone defends its Duleep Trophy title against East Zone.
- South Zone, last year's runner-up, will play North Zone.
- East and North Zones advanced by winning their quarterfinal matches.
The Duleep Trophy semi-finals are set to feature defending champions Central Zone against a confident East Zone, and last year's runners-up South Zone facing North Zone. Central and South Zones received direct entry to this stage, while East and North Zones navigated their quarterfinal matches.
East Zone secured a decisive victory, defeating North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs, showcasing strong performances from Sudip Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed. North Zone narrowly advanced, with left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq's exceptional bowling figures of 9/99 being pivotal in their win against West Zone.
Central Zone, led by Rajat Patidar, retains a strong core from their previous title win, boasting bowling depth with spinners Saransh Jain and Harsh Dubey, alongside pacer Yash Thakur. East Zone relies on momentum and the potential of young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, supported by experienced players like skipper Ishan Kishan and Abhimanyu Easwaran.
South Zone, captained by Tilak Varma, has a strong batting unit including Ricky Bhui and Narayan Jagadeesan, with Shreyas Gopal and Tanay Thyagarajan adding variety to their attack. North Zone, despite selection queries, proved their mettle by surviving a tight knockout, and their batting lineup includes Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad.
