East Zone secured a place in the Duleep Trophy final after defeating defending champions Central Zone by four wickets in a high-voltage semi-final at CoE 1 in Bengaluru. Driven by a dominant performance from pace bowler Mukesh Kumar—who bagged seven wickets across the match—East Zone successfully chased down a target of 159 on a dramatic third day that saw 13 wickets fall.
Resuming their second innings at 45 for 3 after first-innings scores were level at 266, Central Zone’s batting lineup crumpled under relentless pressure from the East Zone bowling attack. Mukesh Kumar led the charge, returning second-innings figures of 4 for 44 to complement his 3 for 56 from the first innings. Partnering with veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, the duo extracted move off the pitch in helpful conditions.
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Aside from opener Aman Mokhade, who scored 41, and No. 8 batter Harsh Dubey, who contributed 24 before being caught by Shami, Central Zone offered minimal resistance. Allrounder Saransh Jain, recently returned from Test duty in Sri Lanka, struggled to make an impact, posting 13 and 1 as Central Zone was bowled out for 158.
In pursuit of 159, East Zone got off to a confident start. Following a massive 161-run opening partnership in their first innings, openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shared a 61-run stand to lay the foundation for the chase. Sooryavanshi showed initial restraint before breaking free in the 14th over, striking seamer Yash Thakur for a flurry of boundaries. His innings ended at 40 off 61 balls when Rajat Patidar executed a running catch at deep midwicket.
Central Zone left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey briefly generated panic in the East Zone camp by taking back-to-back wickets of Kumar Kushagra and Anukul Roy. Saransh Jain also dismissed Sudip Gharami with nine runs required. However, East Zone captain Ishan Kishan remained calm at the crease, finishing unbeaten on 39. Mohammed Shami struck the winning boundary off a short ball to seal the victory.
Mukesh Kumar was named Player of the Match for his match figures of 7 for 100, which proved decisive in eliminating Central Zone.
