Captain Tilak's Unbeaten Fifty Leads South Zone Into Duleep Trophy Final
Captain Tilak Varma: Captain Tilak Varma hit an unbeaten half-century to lead South Zone to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over North Zone in the 2026/27 Duleep Trophy semi-final and secure their place in the title clash, where they will take on East Zone.
Set a target of 181 on the final day of the semi-final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground 2, South Zone completed the chase of 181 with ease, anchored by Varma’s unbeaten 51 off 79 balls. The skipper followed up his crucial first-innings marathon of 116 not out with another commanding display of batting, while partnering with Ravichandran Smaran (32 not out) in an unbroken 80-run fourth-wicket stand to seal the win.
South Zone will now face the Ishan Kishan-led East Zone in the final starting on September 6 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The clash marks the first time the two sides have met in the tournament’s title clash since the 1970/71 season final. Read More...
