The 2026-27 Duleep Trophy semi-finals saw thrilling contests at two grounds in the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. While East Zone saw off a nervy chase of 13 wickets in a third-day match at Ground 1 to register a tense four-wicket win over Central Zone, South Zone played a brilliant match on Ground 2 to beat North Zone by seven wickets.
East Zone and South Zone will now meet at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium from September 6 to 10 for the trophy.
Several players stood out for their sides in the tightly fought matches of the Duleep Trophy
Tilak Verma (South Zone): The South Zone captain led from the front as his side registered a convincing win over North Zone. He played a brilliant unbeaten 116 in the first innings, followed by a composed 51 not out in the second innings to lead his team home without losing his wicket once.
Mukesh Kumar (East Zone): Bengal's pacer was adjudged the Player of the Match for his virtuoso display in the first semi-final. Kumar bagged three wickets for 56 runs in the first innings and four wickets for 44 runs in the second innings, besting his senior Mohammed Shami to emerge as the match's premier fast bowler.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (East Zone): Playing on a surface which saw many a good batsman struggle, the East Zone opener played with an attacking intent, blasting 92 off 81 balls (7 fours, 7 sixes) in the first innings. Sooryavanshi kept the strike rate high and in the second innings, scored 40 off 43 balls to set his team up for a successful chase of 159.
Harsh Dubey (Central Zone): While Central Zone went out, their left-arm spinner was the best all-rounder in either innings. Taking back-to-back four-wicket hauls (4/66 and 4/53) with useful contributions of 27 and 24 with the bat, Dubey was the man in form for the Central Zone in the tournament.
Abhimanyu Easwaran (East Zone): Easwaran provided the necessary solidity for the East Zone in the closely fought contest. The composed left-hander scored a well-made 69 in the first innings, laying the foundation for an important 161-run opening stand with Sooryavanshi. East Zone equaled the Central Zone score of 266 before putting up a fighting innings in the final chase, with Easwaran chipping in with 24 runs.
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