East Zone vs South Zone, Final, Duleep Trophy 2026 - CommentaryEZONE vs SZONE, Final, Duleep Trophy 2026 - Commentary

The players pose for the cameras. They are being chirpy, they are making the noise (the right ones) and East Zone boys having their moment under the sun as the Trophy sits firmly with them. The shutterbugs being busy now. This has been a fairy-tale of some sorts. They will party till the end of the day and beyond. They deserve to. The captain clicking pics with Vaibhav posing with the Trophy. The camaraderie has been unmissable. That's all folks. Our team of Abhinav, KAD, Venky and Vinod had a lot of glee bringing this to you. Bye bye, take care!

Ishan Kishan | East Zone captain: As a group, we won this title as a group. I think everyone was taking care of each other, which was the most important thing for me. I think I've been a good leader (offers a cheeky smile), but yeah, I think the journey doesn't end here, you know. You need to keep getting better in all the departments. Whether you're fielding side, there's always some mistakes happening. So we just need to rectify that and get better day by day. I think it was more about, you know, just being more calm after the break (the time when he was not selected for the Indian team), being more into the game, knowing what's important, how aware you are towards the game and how you are reading the situation. And, you know, you need to take care of each other, try and help each and every ball, so, you know, they don't get into that zone where I was. So I was just trying to help everyone and, you know, it's been a good transformation for me as well. I've been more calm, more aware of situations and, you know, more hunger is there. You want to perform for your team. You need to make your team win, and that is something which changed in me. Hundred percent, that is going to be there (On being that cheeky guy) till I turn ninety.

Tilak Varma | South Zone captain: Honestly, it is disappointing for us, but yeah, there has been a lot of learnings in this game, and hopefully we'll come back stronger. (On whether they could have done better in some phases?) No, sir. If you have seen, sir, honestly, the first day we could have done better, but they have sealed the game when they scored 700. Everyone know, like, it has been slightly tough chasing that 700. But again, credit goes to their batters, how they batted. But again, there has been a few phases we can capture, but we haven't bowled, honestly, that great. (On chasing 708 not being an easy proposition) Yeah, sir, but honestly, we were just thinking to just bat on for the next three days. We have tried our best. If we have played for three days, we never know, we could have scored 700 runs; otherwise the match would have been drawn. But we have tried our best, but again credit goes to them. They have totally outplayed us.

The players collecting their medals. The South Zone side first. The Man of the Match award - no doubts - goes to Kishan and Tilak Varma pockets the Player of the Series award. The winning team now collecting their medals.

Jharkhand's rising stars make their mark - Jharkhand's rising crop has made a significant contribution to East Zone's title-winning campaign. Kumar Kushagra came up with a century in the final, while Shikhar Mohan made an impressive 85 on his Duleep Trophy debut. For Kushagra, it was another reminder of the progress he has made in recent seasons. Mohan's innings, meanwhile, was another reward for the consistent run of form he has enjoyed in domestic cricket. With the two youngsters joining the more experienced Ishan Kishan, Jharkhand's influence on East Zone's campaign has been hard to miss.

A special mention for the pocked-sized dynamo in Ishan Kishan - His return to red-ball cricket has gathered momentum, and the Duleep Trophy final gave him another opportunity to show what he can do in the longest format. The East Zone captain played a huge role in their title-winning campaign, scoring 270 in the first innings before adding 80 in the second. His 350 runs in the match made him the standout batter in the final. The 270 was particularly impressive. Kishan faced 334 balls and spent 522 minutes at the crease, showing the patience and grit required in red-ball cricket while still maintaining his attacking approach. Even after retiring hurt on 250 because of cramps, Kishan returned to the crease and went on to score 270. The 80 in the second innings was another important contribution as East Zone went on to win the title. For a player who has made much of his reputation in white-ball cricket, Kishan's performances in this tournament have been another positive step in his red-ball journey. The final, however, was his biggest contribution yet.

14:11 Local Time, 08:41 GMT, 14:11 IST: The East zone team have declared! With that it is game, set and match. EZ take it on first innings lead. This has been such a fine performance from the boys from the East. They have won the Duleep Trophy after 13 years. Ishan Kishan being the poster boy of the game. A double hundred and an 80 just took the game away from the South Zone team. Today, the day though belonged to Md Kounain Quraishi. He is new to the first class format. But he looked so seasoned in his demeanour. He struck a 100 and remained unbeaten. The boys from the East in a huddle. They are going berserk. They deserve to celebrate it as well. Ishan and Vaibhav break into a jig with a stump each in their hand. They have been taking a lap across the ground waving to the spectators. East Zone are champions of Duleep trophy 2026! They came, they saw and they conquered. Kishan led from the front and should have the spotlight on him throughout. One special mention for Siraj who bowled his heart out today. In these gruelling and sapping conditions, he bowled 9 overs on the trot despite the game's result being sealed. Another reminder of the fact that how much of a fighter he is. These are the moments which make first-class cricket in India so special.

The physio attending Milind who is lying flat on his back. These are gruelling conditions thanks to the humidity at Chepauk.

Nidheesh to Anukul Roy, THATS OUT!! Caught!!