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.
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