East Zone are Duleep Trophy champions once again, ending a 13-year wait for the title after their final win over South Zone in Chennai.

Ishan Kishan’s combined 350 runs across both innings — 270 and 80 — made him the standout performer of the final, earning him the Player of the Match award.

East Zone’s first innings of 708 proved too much for South Zone, who were bowled out for 336 in reply.

Half-centuries and centuries from Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shikhar Mohan and Kumar Kushagra bolstered East Zone’s dominant first-innings total.

The final at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, held from September 6 to 10, ended without an outright result, handing East Zone the title on first-innings lead.

The Duleep Trophy is decided on first-innings lead when a match doesn’t produce an outright result within the scheduled days, as was the case in this final.

The final was played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, running from September 6 to 10.

Ishan Kishan’s Player of the Match award recognised his rare feat of scoring a double-century and a half-century in the same first-class match.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the teenage batting prospect, was part of East Zone’s title-winning squad, gaining valuable first-class experience in a high-stakes final.

East Zone’s bowlers also played a key role in restricting South Zone to 336, setting up the platform from which Kishan’s batting sealed the outright title on lead.

East Zone’s title win ends a 13-year wait for the trophy, their last Duleep Trophy triumph having come well over a decade ago.

Ishan Kishan’s aggregate of 350 runs across both innings — 270 and 80 — is among the most dominant individual performances in a Duleep Trophy final.

Abhimanyu Easwaran (72), Shikhar Mohan (85) and Kumar Kushagra (101) all made significant contributions to East Zone’s massive first-innings 708.

Ishan Kishan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

East Zone are on the verge of winning the Duleep Trophy, needing just four more South Zone wickets in the final at Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

East Zone’s first innings of 708 was built on Ishan Kishan’s career-best 270 and a century from Kumar Kushagra, dwarfing South Zone’s reply of 336.

South Zone captain Tilak Varma scored 99, agonisingly missing out on a century, with Chama Milind chipping in 43 as Mohammed Shami took 2 for 17.

East Zone chose not to enforce the follow-on despite their 372-run lead, batting again to reach 212 for 5, with Kishan unbeaten on 48 in an 82-run partnership with Shikhar Mohan.

With the final being decided on first-innings lead, East Zone need only four more wickets to be crowned champions.

South Zone’s reply of 336 featured a fighting 99 from captain Tilak Varma, who fell agonisingly short of a century, and 43 from Chama Milind.

Mohammed Shami’s 2 for 17 was among the most economical bowling spells of South Zone’s attack during East Zone’s first innings.

East Zone’s decision not to enforce the follow-on, despite a 372-run first-innings lead, gave their bowlers additional rest before a potential final push for victory.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the teenage batting prospect who earned a maiden national T20 call-up earlier this year, was among East Zone’s top order in the second innings.

The final is being played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, a venue with a long history of hosting high-profile domestic and international matches.

The Duleep Trophy is contested between India’s domestic cricket zones and is played under first-class conditions, serving as a proving ground for players aiming to break into the national side.

Ishan Kishan’s 270 in East Zone’s first innings is a career-best score and one of the highest individual totals recorded in the tournament’s history.

M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

India face Pakistan in Dubai on Friday, with the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Group A fixture carrying different stakes for the two sides.

India have already reached the semi-finals after beating Thailand and Hong Kong, while Pakistan need to win to keep their tournament hopes alive.

India’s record against Pakistan is commanding, with 14 wins from 17 T20I meetings and a 6-1 record in T20 Asia Cup encounters.

Smriti Mandhana comes into the match in excellent form after her 124 off 64 balls against Hong Kong in the previous fixture.

The Dubai pitch is expected to slow down as the innings progresses, favouring spinners and rewarding patient batting through the middle overs.

Smriti Mandhana arrives in outstanding form, having scored 124 off 64 balls against Hong Kong in India’s previous group match.

Spinner Deepti Sharma took three for nine against Hong Kong and has previously claimed figures of 5-10 against Pakistan at the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup.

Pakistan’s Nashra Sandhu has a strong record against India specifically, with six wickets in seven matches against them at an economy of 5.47.

The pitch at Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to play slowly, favouring spin bowling and rewarding batters who are patient in the early overs.

The match is being played as the 9th fixture of Group A at the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, with the winner strengthening their position ahead of the knockout stage.

India have already sealed a semi-final berth after two wins from two games, having beaten Thailand and Hong Kong in their opening fixtures.

Pakistan need victory in this match to keep their own last-four hopes alive, after opening the tournament with a dominant win over Thailand.

India hold a commanding head-to-head record in the rivalry, having won 14 of 17 T20I meetings against Pakistan, including a 6-1 record in T20 Asia Cup fixtures specifically.

Photo of Smriti Mandhana, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India