Chennai, September 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
East Zone ended a 13-year wait for the Duleep Trophy title on Thursday, overcoming South Zone on the basis of a first-innings lead in the final at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
The victory marked East Zone’s third Duleep Trophy title, with their previous triumph coming in the 2012-13 season.
Resuming their second innings, East Zone were powered by Md Kounain Quraishi’s unbeaten maiden first-class century and a composed half-century from Anukul Roy. Quraishi remained unbeaten on 116 off 190 balls, while Roy contributed 64 as East Zone declared at 388/7 in 99.2 overs.
The declaration immediately sparked celebrations among the East Zone players, with Ishan Kishan-led side securing the coveted title.
East Zone had taken firm control of the final after piling up 708 in their first innings, with captain Kishan producing a monumental 270 and Kumar Kushagra scoring 101. Kishan added another 80 in the second innings to finish with 350 runs in the match.
Jharkhand’s young players also played a significant role in the campaign. Besides Kushagra’s century, Shikhar Mohan made an impressive 85 on his Duleep Trophy debut, continuing his strong domestic form. Their contributions, along with Kishan’s performances, kept Jharkhand’s influence central to East Zone’s title-winning campaign.
Quraishi and Roy had extended their seventh-wicket partnership to 150 runs during the morning session, taking East Zone’s overall lead beyond 700 runs. South Zone were also penalised five runs in the 73rd over for an unacceptable slow over-rate following a discussion between match officials and captain Tilak Varma.
Quraishi reached his century in the 96th over when he drove pacer CV Milind through extra cover for two runs. He took off his helmet and raised his arms in celebration as his teammates applauded from the balcony.
The youngster marked the milestone in emphatic fashion in the following over, hitting consecutive sixes off spinner Tripurana Vijay over mid-wicket and long-on.
Roy completed his half-century in the 89th over by guiding Shaik Rasheed through point for a single. His innings ended at 64 when he was caught by Devdutt Padikkal at slip off MD Nidheesh after loosely playing at a length delivery outside off stump.
After Quraishi chipped Milind safely towards mid-on off the second ball of the 100th over, Kishan signalled the declaration from the pavilion. The umpires then removed the bails, formally bringing the final to an end and confirming East Zone as champions.
Despite the result being virtually settled, South Zone pacer Mohammed Siraj bowled an intense nine-over spell in the demanding Chepauk conditions.
Following the declaration, East Zone players celebrated on the field, with Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi joining the celebrations and waving to the spectators while holding a stump.
Brief Scores: East Zone 708 & 388/7 declared in 99.2 overs (Md Kounain Quraishi 116*, Ishan Kishan 80; MD Nidheesh 2/28, CV Milind 1/27) drew with South Zone 336 (Tilak Varma 99; Mukesh Kumar 3/62). East Zone won on first-innings lead.
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